


May Those Who Love Us, Love Us

by NerdButton



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Accidental Relationship, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Future, Established Relationship - Rayllum, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Multi, Polyamory, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Threesome - F/F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:40:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23858464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdButton/pseuds/NerdButton
Summary: The first few times had been a surprise, and while she'd managed to keep her confusion under control, she hadn't bothered to say anything about it. When it continued to happen long past the point the joke should have stopped being funny, Rayla had instead wrote it off as just being another aspect of Claudia's odd brand of conduct.But now that she had spoke to Callum and seen the evidence for herself, it couldn't be denied anymore.Claudia was flirting with her.Long after peace has settled between humanity and Xadia, life has finally reached something close to normal again. Unfortunately, it doesn't last too long for everyone, as Rayla finds when Claudia starts to pick up her old flirtatious ways.The only difference is this time, she has two targets in her sights.
Relationships: Callum/Claudia (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Claudia/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Claudia/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 92





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Who's got two thumbs and still praying for a Claudia redemption at some point?
> 
> This gal. 
> 
> I'm multi-shipping trash and I'm not sorry, I like this trio together and there's very little for them all so here we are. This story is set in a hypothetical future Katolis, years after the main story and where Claudia joined the good guys in the end. 
> 
> Features: Established Rayllum, and some silly poly hijinx.

Rayla had been trying to ignore it, she really had been.

The first few times had been a surprise, and while she'd managed to keep her confusion under control, she hadn't bothered to say anything about it. When it continued to happen long past the point the joke should have stopped being funny, she had instead wrote it off as just being another aspect of Claudia's odd brand of conduct.

But now that she had spoke to Callum and seen the evidence for herself, it couldn't be denied anymore.

Claudia was flirting with her.

Worse than that, she had _continued_ her flirting with Callum she used do when they were teenagers, something Rayla only discovered when she overheard the two of them talking one day. Jealousy had initially flooded her system at the time, but she forced it away when Callum barely even seemed to notice what was going on, and waited until Claudia had floated off to do whatever it is she does before approaching where he was reading on the grass.

He looks up at her when her boots enter his peripheral and gives one of his trademark goofy smiles, a hand patting the grass next to where he sat and tempting her to join him. Sitting down in the offered space by his side, her hand is quickly found by his soft, larger one and a kiss is pressed to the knuckles there before he turns more to face her.

"You been looking for me?"

"Something like that... Callum I need to ask you something. Is Claudia always so... friendly with you?"

He looks guilty at her question and flushes, rushing to reassure her that nothing is going on between him and Claudia, and she can't help her own spike of guilt at the way her wording of the question has panicked him.

She places her own hands over his to calm him. "Hold on, wait- I phrased that wrong, I trust you don't worry, that's not really what I'm asking."

The words successfully get him to still and relax back into his spot, but he sends her a well-deserved look of confusion.

"Okay... Well, what are you asking then?"

"I- She was flirting with you, and I think she's been flirting with me too."

He blinks blankly at her, before throwing his head back and letting out a loud guffaw that draws a lot of heads in their direction, to Rayla's chagrin. She waits for him to finish being rude, eventually slapping him on the arm when he doesn't appear to be stopping soon.

"I'm serious, Callum!"

He wipes a tear from his eye, closing his book and focusing his full attention on her and her line of questioning, curiosity running high as to where this conversation was leading.

"Why would she be flirting with you?"

At her offended look, he quickly backpedals before she can answer, hands held placatingly in front of him.

"That's not what I mean, of course people would want to flirt with you." Slowly lowering his hands, he continues. "It's just that she has always done that to me, I think she just enjoys teasing me or something. I don't think it means anything, so I don't see why she'd be doing it to you, too."

"Look, I dont know why she's doing it either, but I'm telling you she is."

Callum maintains his skeptical look, and when she doesn't back down, he instead decides to take the logical path with his argument, shrugging.

"Okay, then why would Claudia be flirting with two people who are in a relationship? What's the end goal there?"

"To continue her backstabbing ways?"

This time they both laugh, enough time having passed for that comment to be funny now - while it certainly took far longer than they would have all liked for Claudia to realise she was being manipulated, they'd probably all have ended up dead if it weren't for her joining their side at the eleventh hour. Some scars might still be healing from those years of fighting, but it worked out in the end and that's what matters. They'd all lost enough people, already.

When they'd stopped laughing, Callum reaches out to pull her in so she's leaning up against him, letting the last few chuckles die down in his chest. She can feel his heartbeat against her cheek, the steady rhythm soothing and familiar, and she is content to stay that way as they continue talking.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like she's testing me or something."

"Maybe she just thinks she's being friendly?"

Maybe, except for one problem with that explanation - if it was her just being friendly, why had she only been doing it recently? And why only her and Callum? It didn't add up, but without concrete proof all she had to go on was her suspicions.

"That's not how I act with my friends."

"Yea that's true, you only tried to assassinate us."

"Shut up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Callum still didn't believe her even after their conversation in the courtyard, so they set up a trap. Well, Rayla set up a trap.

She was going to prove it to him, once and for all, that Claudia was flirting with her.

And while Rayla was still unsure of the actual motivation behind the mage's actions, she knew one thing for sure - friendliness was not it. Her lack of reaction to Claudia's other comments must have presented some kind of challenge to the other girl, as she had decided to press just that bit harder against Rayla's boundaries, seemingly searching for the line in the metaphorical sand between them.

Admittedly, the throne room had been packed with people at the time and it had only been for a split second but Rayla knew, she _knew_ it had been Claudia who groped her. She was _right there_ when she'd turned around looking for the offending hand, it couldn't be a coincidence. And if that wasn't enough, there simply weren't many people in this world who would be brave enough to risk a hand doing such a thing to Rayla, which greatly narrowed down the suspects.

Deciding she wasn't accepting Callum's disbelief any longer, she had roped him into being a witness while she attempted to entrap Claudia - the prince coming along but with no shortage of argument against this campaign to catch their mutual friend up to no good. Callum still held to his stance that Rayla was putting a little bit too much thought into it all, and whether that was true or not, she wanted to prove to him that the mage's advances were definitely intentional.

Rayla had it all planned out; Claudia always spends the first couple hours of the day out in the courtyard while it's quiet, after her daily hot brown morning potion but before the regular bustle of life in the castle picks up. The best chance she had of ensuring she drew Claudia's attention in the way she wanted was to make it seem like they were alone, and the early morning was the best way to do that on a schedule.

With that in mind, she had made sure to get up early after the sun had risen and got dressed in one of her tight training outfits that she knows she looks good in. Dragging Callum out of bed had proven to be the hardest part of the plan, but she succeeds with enough time to set him up in the courtyard behind some horse carts where he wouldn't be seen. He would be able to hear anything they spoke about from his spot, already setting up his sketchbook with a roll of his eyes when she checks on him.

"Okay, she should be down anytime now so make sure to listen in cause I'm not doing this again."

"Uh huh."

"If she doesn't come over here just to be inappropriate, I'll drop it I promise."

"Uh huh, yup."

"Are you even listening?"

"To my girlfriend being crazy? Wouldn't miss it." He lazily looks up at her with his head in his hand and a grin, starting to sketch away already. "And when she doesn't, can we go back to bed?"

"Okay, we can go back to bed." Glancing to the entrance to the courtyard, she spots her target just leaving the doors to the castle, face buried in whatever the book of the day is. "She's coming, stay quiet."

She just catches the end of Callum's mock salute at the corner of her eye as she turns, heading over to the training dummy she'd already set up to practice on. As she could have predicted, Claudia makes sure to sit somewhere in the courtyard where she has a clear line of sight to Rayla, which she confirms with a quick glance over and a cordial wave that is returned with a bright smile from the mage.

Rayla has to hide her disappointment when Claudia's focus returns to her book, and a solid thirty minutes pass with no indication that Claudia is even there, sitting quietly as she is. Castle staff starting their day begin to pass through the courtyard and doubt settles in Rayla's chest, muscles starting to strain with her workout - maybe she was wrong and had dragged Callum out here for nothing.

The sound of boots crunching over the leaves surrounding the training pit immediately sends her heart rate spiking, and she has to calm her nerves about whether or not her plan is going to work. Looking over her shoulder reveals exactly what she expects; Claudia leans against the gate into the pit, book dangling forgotten from her fingers as she watches Rayla practice with her swords, the barest hint of a smirk on her face. From where she stands, Callum should be able to see them both without being easily spotted spying.

"Good morning, Rayla."

She nods in greeting. "Good morning."

"You're out here early. It's not often I see you in the morning, I almost thought you'd started picking up Callum's lazy habits."

"I just felt like a workout before everyone starts getting in the way."

"Oh? Don't mind me then, it's far from the worst view in the morning." She sweeps a hand in the direction of the dummy, nonchalant expression on her face and showing no sign of leaving.

There it is! She's being flirty _right now_ , in that weird indirect way of hers, and exactly like Rayla had said she would. She really hopes that Callum hasn't fallen asleep or something that would make him miss this just when her plan is working.

Fueled by a streak of stubbornness, Rayla raises an expectant eyebrow and meets Claudia's gaze head on, refusing her the show she wants. Realising she's not getting to keep ogling Rayla, Claudia pushes off of the gate and approaches slowly, glancing around to see if there's anyone who can see them before she does.

"Well if you're finished for now, there's something I'd like to ask you?"

"What do you want to ask?"

Stomach lurching with anticipation, Rayla watches as Claudia flicks open the book in her hand, finger tracing over the words on a page while she comes far enough into Rayla's personal space that she could easily touch her.

"I read that Moonshadow elves are physically stronger under the full moon, is that true?"

"That's true. We get stronger with the phases of the moon." Unsure where Claudia is going with this question, Rayla can't quite keep the confusion out of her voice when she answers.

The hand that had been tracing over the book places itself on Rayla's bicep, squeezing gently before stroking down to her forearm, and causes her breath to catch in her throat at the unexpected contact.

"Maybe you could show me how much stronger you are at your peak, one day."

With one last squeeze of the muscle in Rayla's arm, Claudia about turns and struts off towards the castle, a spring in her step like she didn't just feel up one of her friends in broad daylight. The mage never once looks back, disappearing behind the heavy doors she exited through earlier. Just as well, considering Rayla was still standing shocked in the spot she'd been in, waiting for Claudia to leave before she spun around to where Callum was hiding.

He bursts out from behind the cart, a wide-eyed look on his face and gesturing wildly in the direction Claudia had walked off in, speechless. Triumph rises in Rayla's chest at being right about her suspicions, and she flings her arms towards the castle as if to present her evidence to her audience.

"See?! I _told you_ she's been flirting with me and now you've seen it yourself!"

"I did! Holy shit, you're right."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Behind the locked door to their room, they were free to discuss the next step of whatever plan it was they had going without fear of being overheard. Callum was sitting on the edge of their bed, watching as Rayla paced around in front of him while talking - mostly to herself, but sometimes to him. Weird morning aside, he could quite happily just sit and watch Rayla be her cute self all day.

"I knew it for ages, I just didn't want to acknowledge it. She's been flirting with you, _and_ she's been flirting with me! It's so weird!" Pausing for a second in her pacing, she spins to point an accusing finger at him. "And now I definitely know it was her that groped me in the throne room."

"Wait, what?"

Pushing past Callum's question - she might have forgotten to mention that part to him - Rayla crosses over to sit on the bed next to him, wheels turning in her brain with the confirmation of Claudia's indiscretion.

"We need to find out why she's doing this."

"Do we really, though? We can just ask her to stop."

"No, I want to know what it is she's trying to do. I don't appreciate being messed with for months, Callum."

"Fine, what do you want to do about it?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that's how Callum found himself being dragged along to Claudia's room, late at night that very same day.

"Rayla, this is a really bad idea. We can't just go barging in on her."

They are almost at the door to Claudia's room, and that much closer to finally getting an explanation for all the weirdness going on. Rayla turns to look at Callum, pulling him into a hug that she needs just as much as he seems to.

"Five minutes, that's all I need. Then we can forget about the whole thing. Is that okay?"

He pulls away to look at her, pressing a kiss to her lips and cupping her face between his hands.

"If you really need to do this, then we're doing it."

It's times like this that she remembers why she loves him as much as she does; he's always been the one person to believe in her, when no one else does, not even herself. He takes her hand in his, leading them the last of the way down the hall until they reach the door to Claudia's room, and raises a hand prepared to knock.

"Ready?"

"Ready."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest fucking chapter I've ever done man, I don't know what happened. This is also where the smut begins, so enjoy! ;p 
> 
> I put 'polyamory' as a tag on this fic and not just the threesome one, because the three in this story do care for each other and have a lot more feelings for each other than just lust, and I might expand on this later depending on how I feel. And I don't like how heavy just the threesome tag seems, I dunno. Hope that's okay with everyone. 
> 
> Oh, and for anyone reading this while waiting for an update to TMaHS... I'm sorry. T.T

It doesn't take long for Claudia to appear in the doorway, the sounds of her approaching from the other side picked up by Rayla's trained ears a few seconds before it opens. The pleasant smile on the mage's face as she does so is quickly rewritten by one of surprise at seeing them both standing there; to her credit, she manages to smother it very fast, even though the interesting selection of expressions had already been noted. Callum stands quietly by her side, looking between both girls and waiting for someone to say anything. Eventually Claudia does, another amicable smile on her face and a strained tone in her voice.

"Huh, Rayla, Callum... I wasn't expecting you both." There's an unfamiliar quality to Claudia's voice, layered under a smile and polite words, and Callum isn't completely sure but he'd almost think she sounds nervous.

Though he supposed he'd probably be nervous too, if two of his friends appeared at his door late one night, intent on questioning him. It's Rayla who answers.

"Yea, can we come in? I don't want to talk out here."

Claudia glances back into her room for a brief moment as if debating with herself, before opening the door wide enough for them both to pass her and enter. Her bedroom is tidier than Callum is used to from her; admittedly it's probably been a few years since he was in her room last and things can change, but Claudia hasn't really changed all that much - some new experience under her belt and white in her hair that didn't used to be there, but still the same, quirky Claudia.

Which, he supposes is how they ended up here, actually.

He crosses through to sit on Claudia's bed, more comfortable in his old friend's room than Rayla clearly is, as she just waits standing in the middle of the room. Claudia shuts and locks her door, and steps a few paces away from it to face them both. Something is off about how Claudia looks, and it takes him a moment to realise what it is that's different - she's only wearing a long-sleeved shirt and some shorts to sleep in. The last time Callum would have seen Claudia's bare legs was probably at least about ten years ago when they were still kids, since she always had her dark dresses or uniforms on. It stirs up some old memories seeing her like that, of easier times running about in the grass on the castle grounds and playing games in the sun, that he has to shake away.

"It's pretty late for a visit, what can I help you guys with?"

"Why have you been flirting with us?"

Classic Rayla - straight to the point and taking zero prisoners. Sometimes Callum wishes she would, if only to spare him the occasional mini heart attack. And it appears the feeling is shared, as for the briefest moment Claudia looks like she might be about to bolt right out the door she just locked. Fortunately, Rayla must have picked it up too, as she forces herself to relax with a deep breath before trying again, with a much softer tone.

"I'm sorry, you're not in trouble or anything. I just really need an answer for all of this, it's driving me crazy." Deciding the touch barrier between them had already been broken by Claudia's behaviour, Rayla reaches out to place what she hopes is a reassuring hand on Claudia's arm, an odd warmth in her chest when the action draws a happy smile from the mage.

"It really is driving her crazy." Callum laughs, prompting Rayla to send him a look.

Claudia glances between them both, edging away from the hand on her arm before she answers, a surprising amount of boldness behind her as she decides that honesty is probably going to be the best policy here.

"I think you're both attractive, and I figured there was nothing to lose."

"You're trying to break us up?"

Despite herself, irritation is starting to show in Rayla's voice, unhappy with the implications of Claudia's answer. Instead of the expected denial or argument, Claudia simply looks down to her feet, a flush on her face at being put on the spot. Just as Rayla is about to question her again, Claudia continues but much lower, like she was struggling to get the words out, or hadn't practiced them enough.

"I'm definitely not trying to break you up, I promise." Clearing her throat, she meets Rayla's gaze from under her lashes. "I like you both together."

Her final statement is pretty straight forward, or at least Callum thinks. But both girls continue to look at each other for a few moments until it becomes Rayla's turn to flush, and she steps back from Claudia with a nervous chuckle when the meaning in her words finally sinks in.

"Oh wow, okay... This is not where I saw this going."

"I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable, if I've misread your preferences I'm sorry."

She definitely hadn't misread - Rayla has looked at a fair few women in her time, but had never acted on it so she's not sure how Claudia figured it out. It had never really mattered much, since she's been with Callum anyways.

It had never really mattered much, until right this moment. She's not sure if it's the fire blazing away next to her that's making her feel warm, or the way Claudia is still looking at her with a gleam in her eye that is now very, very clear. Wondering what Callum's reaction is to all this, she looks over to where he is still sitting on the bed but he looks pretty confused about the whole thing, glancing between both girls as he has been the whole time. Regardless what options may have just been laid out before them, Rayla can't go making decisions for both of them, meaning she's about to have a very awkward talk with her boyfriend about women and their hidden messages.

"You've not made me uncomfortable. Well, a little, but not like that. I'm glad we've got the truth out, so thank you for being honest."

"You're welcome."

Realising that Claudia seems to be waiting for an answer to a different question makes her palms start to feel sweaty, and she breaks away from their little staring contest to head over to Callum.

"Come on, let's head back." He happily accepts her waiting hand, lifting tiredly onto his feet.

"Are you guys okay now?"

"For now, we're going to have to talk about this again. But first, the two of us kind of need to talk."

Rayla can almost _feel_ Claudia perk up behind her at the words, even without being able to see her reaction. Callum still looks unsure, but the fact of his girlfriend and oldest friend having reached some kind of understanding puts a sleepy smile on his face. He's ready to get cuddled up in bed with his girlfriend, even if she is no doubt going to use him as a sounding board for her thoughts once they reach their room again.

"Sounds good to me. Have a nice night, Claudia. Sorry for intruding on you so late."

"Yea, sorry for that. I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about all this." And she probably won't sleep tonight anyways, more thoughts swirling around her mind now than before she came knocking on Claudia's door.

Claudia herself seems in relatively good spirits, the answer of "not right now" being a lot better than the outright refusal she had been braced for. She doesn't press them for anything else, walking over to unlock her door as they make their way towards it.

"Don't worry about it, I'm glad we've spoke." With the same innuendo in her voice that first caught Rayla's attention months ago, she adds. "Come see me again, anytime."

Pushing Callum through the doorway before anything else can be said, Rayla thanks Claudia and wishes her goodnight, and they both make their way down the hallway back to their own bedroom where they'll be able to discuss what just happened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, I am both flattered _and_ intimidated."

"Yea, I know how you feel."

Rayla had just finished explaining to Callum exactly what Claudia's end goal is, and all the sleepiness practically melted off of him as it sunk in fully. She could hardly blame him - she could still feel the tingle of Claudia's dark eyes looking at her on her skin.

"You've never told me you like women?"

"It never came up. I wasn't hiding it or anything, I'd just never really given it much actual consideration until now. It didn't seem important, I'm with you and I'm happy with you."

"And what are you thinking now?"

She's thinking about a lot of things, many of which she doesn't want to voice to him, not quite yet. But she is curious, Claudia's plan has undeniably worked - her head is full of fleeting fantasies and desires, and she reckons Callum is the exact same, if his silence is anything to go by.

"Will you be upset if I say I do want to do this?"

Callum looks at her, his pretty, green eyes and boyish smile lit up by the light from the fireplace.

"I'd never be upset with you for being honest with me. It's definitely a bit scary, but it's also kind of exciting, don't you think?"

"You know what, it _is_ exciting. Okay out with it, what are you thinking?"

"I think it would be fun, I'm just worried it might make things weird?"

"How do you mean?"

"You know, like after?" Callum fidgets a little, kicking at nothing with his socks. "What if it makes things weird between us and Claudia, and we end up not talking anymore or something?"

"Then we would just have to make sure that doesn't happen. We can talk to Claudia about it, she's our friend and I'm sure she doesn't want that either."

"Yea, you're right." He beams at her, and she cuddles into him which he returns, wrapping his arms around her.

"...do you think she's still awake?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the second time that night, they approach Claudia's bedroom door. They take a moment to just be together and settle their nerves.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure. Are you?"

"Definitely."

This time, when Claudia appears in the doorframe there is no surprise to be found on her face, replaced by a lustful look as she scans them both over before simply moving to let them pass into her room. Following the same routine as they had an hour previously, Callum goes back over to sit on the bed and Rayla remains standing in the middle of the room. Door locking shut, Claudia turns to face them both and she seems to be trying to not look too pleased with herself. As Rayla looks at her, something is different about her compared to earlier.

_Is she wearing makeup?_

Realising that Claudia had indeed seemed to tidy herself up a bit in the time they were away, Rayla can't help being a little amused at the mage's confidence - she already knew she had them both long before they left her room that first time. The girls both seemed to have been thinking along similar lines, as Rayla had changed her clothes before leaving her and Callum's room to be better able to go along with this plan. And it was working, Claudia drinking in the view of her in the thin robe she was wearing. (With the same look in her eye as Callum when he'd done the same, twenty minutes ago; a realisation that made her flush, knowing she was likely being looked over from both directions right now.)

"I guess I don't need to ask what I can do to help you this time?" The teasing in Claudia's voice is well-deserved; both Rayla and Callum are happy to concede her victory on this one occasion.

"We've talked about it and we both want to do this, but there is one condition - we don't want this to end up damaging our relationship with you by making things uncomfortable between us all afterwards. No hurt feelings or awkwardness, things have to continue as normal after. Is that going to be okay?"

Rayla directs the question mostly at Claudia, but also at Callum, as he'd been the one worrying about it - which was fair, as while Rayla probably wouldn't be too bothered at her relationship with Claudia being strained, she's still one of Callum's oldest friends and he doesn't want to lose her. Happy at receiving agreement from them both, Rayla glances over to Callum to check one last time that he's okay with what they're about to do.

Getting his handsome smile and a nod, she takes a deep breath - this was it. Now or never. Do or die. Fuck or be fucked.

She turns to make the few steps across the room towards Claudia, who perks up immediately at having attention on her. Pressing deliberately into the mage's space comes with no shortage of satisfaction, finally getting to turn the tables against her after months of being worked over. For all of her forwardness leading up to this moment, Claudia still buckles a little under the opportunity to actually touch Rayla, hands lifting by her sides but not bold enough to place themselves on her body.

It's no matter, Rayla is more than happy to give her a little assistance - the first of many likely to come this evening. As close as she is, the darkening in Claudia's eyes can be seen clearly, the anticipation in them sending Rayla's head spinning. Not breaking eye contact, Rayla takes each of Claudia's hands in hers and places them firmly on her hips before leaning up the couple inches to pull the taller girl into a kiss. The fleeting thought that Claudia seems taller than she was a few years ago only comes with the movement to wrap her arms around her neck, having to pull her down slightly to deepen their kiss.

Claudia's arms move to wrap around her waist, holding them flush against each other as her tongue presses for entry against Rayla's lips, which she grants eagerly. Kissing Claudia is so different from kissing Callum - where he's all hard edges and strong hands gripping her, Claudia is soft and melts into her, fingers tracing patterns on the skin where she holds her. They're both good, but the difference is hard to ignore when confronted with it so intimately. She wonders how long it would take for both to become familiar enough for her to no longer notice, before pushing the thought away.

Emboldened hands begin to trace over the skin on her back still covered by her robe, nails skimming down lightly until finding place on her behind, squeezing firmly and drawing a moan from her. Now that Claudia seems to be growing more comfortable she pulls back from their kiss, noting with amusement the mage's attempt to follow her and continue it, pushing her back gently with a laugh so there's some space between them.

In a rush of excitement at knowing she has two full sets of attention on her, she languidly unties the knot at her waist, slowly pushing the robe fully off her shoulders to pool by her feet and rendering her completely bare in the centre of the room. She just barely catches a strangled noise from behind her - Callum must not have been expecting the bold move, and Claudia _certainly_ wasn't, given her wide-eyed expression and flushed face at the sight now in front of her.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it?" Not waiting for an answer, Rayla once again claims one of Claudia's hands, trailing long fingers down her body slowly, between her breasts and continuing lower until _just_ nearly reaching the spot between her legs. When she hears Claudia's breath catch in her throat, she stops their hands just inches from touching her properly. With her bare back to Callum, she is blocking most of what is going on from his view, even if she can still feel his eyes burning into the back of her and enjoying the show.

Deciding it's about time she got to watch something fun, Rayla walks backwards towards Callum, tugging Claudia with her using their still joined hands until they're both in front of where he sits on the bed. With no small amount of pleasure, Rayla can see that he's already excited and pressing against his pants for attention. He'll get it, but they've both got something else to do first.

Leaning down to steal a quick kiss off him, Rayla then guides Claudia so she's standing facing Callum and takes her place behind her to lean against Claudia's still-clothed body with her own bare one - leaving Claudia snuggly between them both.

"Help me strip her."

She doesn't need to ask Callum twice, and has to suppress a laugh at her good boy following her orders so easily. Since she's standing and has better leverage to do so, Rayla slides the hem of Claudia's shirt up slowly until it comes off over her head while Callum begins to loosen the tie of the little shorts she's wearing. Bringing her hands back up after dropping the shirt, Rayla drags them up Claudia's sides before reaching around to cup her breasts, feeling Claudia's breathing already beginning to pick up from the double attention from her and Callum.

From where he sits, Callum has a full view of Claudia as they both work to expose her, drinking in the sight of her bare chest being fondled by Rayla's hands. He can't see Rayla's face from his position, just the top of her horns as they peak over Claudia's shoulders occasionally, and he realises that she's pressing kisses across the freshly revealed skin there. He follows her lead, leaning in to start peppering kisses across Claudia's stomach as he pulls down both her shorts and underwear to her ankles, which draws the slightest giggle out of her before shifting into a low moan. One of her hands raises to run through his hair, freezing against the back of his head as his ministrations begin to lead slowly lower.

Before he can do so, a hand taps him on the head and prompts him to look up to meet Rayla's eyes, a sparkle in them he can't place - but he's pretty sure he's about to find out. She separates herself from Claudia, moving around to sit herself on the bed behind Callum and pressing herself against him the same way she had just done to Claudia.

"Your turn. I think he's been dressed long enough, right Claudia?"

"Oh, definitely long enough."

In a straight reversal of their previous position, Rayla coaxes Callum to raise his arms, allowing her to pull his shirt off and reveal his bare chest to Claudia. Kneeling down in front of Callum, Claudia reaches out to run a hand tentatively down his lean stomach that flinches a little at the first touch before he settles into it. Wanting more, she leans in to place teasing kisses across his chest, working her way up his neck and drawing a soft moan from him. When she pulls back, their eyes meet briefly, closing as she leans in to place a tentative kiss on his lips. Rayla had kissed her, so she figured it would be okay for her to kiss Callum, and he is so warm against her when she presses closer to him.

Pulling away, her hands reach for the tie on his pants only to find Rayla must have already undone it while they were distracted, four-fingered hands tracing teasingly just above his waistband and making the bulge in them twitch with the movements. The slightest amount of nerves begin to make themselves known to Claudia at seeing what's underneath - most of her flings have been with women, so men, while definitely fun, are still less familiar territory to her. But then she notices Callum watching her with the same soft look he had for her years ago, and it helps.

With a new burst of confidence, she indicates for Callum to lift his weight and help her pull the last of his clothes off, sitting back on the bed and raising his hips to give her the space to get them off. Adding the last clothing to the pile, she turns around to be greeted with the full sight of a naked Callum. He's ready, and right in front of her face where it would be hard not to notice.

Rayla has been watching their interactions from over Callum's shoulder, cuddled against his back and with a leg around either side of him. A peculiar urge overcomes her - from where she sits pressed against Callum's back, she can clearly see Claudia as she kneels between Callum's legs and realises that this is the same view he gets when it's her kneeling in front of him.

She wants to see what Callum sees.

She doesn't know where this desire has come from, but now that she's thought about it, it sends a flood of desire through her veins - the want to watch Claudia, eyes closed as she bobs her head lewdly up and down, lips wrapped around her boyfriend's cock. Considering she's been running this show since it started, she doesn't see much point in stopping now, sending the hand that had been tracing over Callum's stomach down to wrap around him.

The action manages to catch the attention of both of the other two as she'd hoped, watching as she strokes him a few times before stopping. When Claudia glances up to look at them both, Rayla raises an eyebrow at her expectantly.

"Well? I think you know what to do."

The hidden instruction prompts a gasp from Callum, as well as a rather interesting reaction in Claudia, a noticeable flush spreading across her face and chest at being commanded so pointedly. Rising, quite literally, to the task given to her, Claudia runs her hands up Callum's thighs before replacing Rayla's wrapped one still around him with her own. She strokes him a few times, familiarising herself with how he feels, before leaning down to accept the head into her mouth. The hand gripping him continues its stroking motions as she swirls her tongue around his tip, causing him to groan and lean heavier back against Rayla, who is watching the new sight with fascination.

Claudia deliberately looks up at them both as they watch her, enjoying their reactions as she suckles at Callum. Feeling warmed up, she begins to dip lower taking more and more of him into her mouth until he threatens to hit the back of her throat. She can't take anymore but it's more than enough, sucking up and down his length with her hand around the last couple inches she can't reach with her mouth. Her eyes eventually start to fall shut as she focuses on her task, leaving her vulnerable to the whims of the other two who continue to enjoy watching her movements.

Callum's breathing is starting to grow laboured, low moans coaxed out of him with more frequency, and Rayla can feel him beginning to tense up against her front. Wanting to indulge herself a little more before the show comes to an end, she finds Callum's hands with her own and places them on Claudia's bobbing head, keeping her own on top of his so both sets are now holding Claudia in place. The mage's eyes drift open again at the feeling of hands on her head, widening slightly when she realises it's not just Callum doing it.

"Nod once for gentle, twice for rough."

The debate can be seen warring behind Claudia's eyes before she nods once, allowing pressure to be put on the back of head and decide her motions for her. Rayla isn't honestly too sure if it's her or Callum that's doing it, both of them working off of the same desire to see Claudia swallow his orgasm.

"Oh, fuck..."

It doesn't take much longer for Callum to reach his peak, giving Claudia a tap on the head to warn her that he's close, in case she wants him to finish somewhere else. With an almost imperceptible shake of her head, she continues sucking him and encouraging him to keep going. A few more strokes of her tongue and he comes with a groan, holding Claudia in place as he shoots into her mouth. He can feel her moaning against him as he does, deep in her chest. Energy leaving him, he slumps back against Rayla as she places soft kisses across his shoulder and anywhere she can reach.

"Wow... I really liked that, and I don't know why."

With Callum catching his breath, Rayla doesn't really expect a response from him right now. She looks down to where Claudia is finally rising up off of her knees with a grimace, and feels a pang of sympathy - the hard castle floors are not great to kneel on for any length of time and Claudia has been down there for a while now. Unwilling to move away from Callum quite yet, she reaches out for Claudia's hand and pulls her to sit next to them on the bed for a bit to let the blood flow back into her legs.

When she sits next to Rayla, she turns to place another kiss to her lips with a hand cupped against her jaw and pulling her in; the taste on her tongue is as erotic as it is familiar. Claudia is still holding her hand, which is moved down to press between her legs, allowing Rayla to feel how wet she is from being used by both her and Callum.

Callum pulls forward away from her, and draws both of their attention to him with his movement. He heads over to the jug of water Claudia has on her vanity, pouring himself a drink before turning to bring one over to each of the girls.

"Aww, you're so sweet, Callum. Thank you."

They expect him to sit back down next to them, so it's a surprise when he turns and makes his way around the bed to recline against the pillows.

"You guys can keep going, I need a little bit of time to recharge." Then, directed more at Rayla, he adds. "Get to know each other a bit."

It takes her a little minute to understand what he is doing, but when she does it sends a rush of love through her - he's telling her it's okay to experiment a little, considering what she had only told him earlier about her interest in women. And she supposes getting to watch them both has something to do with it.

She can _feel_ Claudia's eyes on her as they roam over her body, and she's already much less sure of what she's supposed to be doing now than when Callum was still with them. Thankfully, it seems Claudia does, as she leans back in to continue kissing Rayla like she had been before they all moved, a hand finding position on her thigh and beginning to work its way higher. And it's not that Rayla doesn't want to be touched, because she really does, but this might be her one chance to get to touch back and she doesn't want to waste it. Should she just say to Claudia this is new to her? Maybe she'd be able to help her, or at least make it a little less intimidating.

Pushing Claudia back from their kiss for a moment, Rayla catches her brief look of concern and can tell she's about to ask if everything is okay. Not wanting to give her time to worry, she presses on to speak what it is that's on her mind first.

"I'm okay, don't worry. I just..." She glances to Callum for reassurance, receiving a grin and a thumbs up from him that encourages her to keep going. "I've only been with Callum, so this is new to me. Would it be okay if I get to focus on you? You might need to help point me in the right direction. So to speak."

Claudia gives her a queer look, head tilted to the side for a second.

"I hadn't thought about that, I'm sorry." Then she giggles to herself, before meeting Rayla's eyes again. "There's only one direction for you to go, but I'm happy to guide you if you need it."

Taking Rayla's hands in her own, Claudia places them on her breasts, encouraging her to touch with a smile and guiding Rayla to grope at her chest.

"Touch me. Just do what you want to, or do what you like done to you to me."

Rayla takes a moment to enjoy the feeling of Claudia's breasts under her hands again, moving to thumb over her nipples that react to her fingers and attention. Claudia's are a bit bigger than her own, and she has to quickly shove down the amusing thought of how appropriate it is for Claudia's attributes to be a literal handful - just like the girl herself.

With the desire to stop thinking so much, Rayla leans in to replace one of her hands with her mouth, pressing soft kisses across Claudia's chest before drawing one of her nipples into her mouth and giving it a curious lick with her tongue. Callum doesn't really like having his nipples touched, so she's surprised to feel Claudia's react and harden further with the attention. The reaction pushes her to keep going, kissing and licking and sucking at Claudia until she begins to moan low in her chest, a hand against the back of Rayla's neck and holding her close.

Claudia's hand starts to put a bit of pressure on Rayla's shoulders, and she realises after a minute that she's indicating for her to start moving lower, which she does happily. As she would have expected, there's not a whole lot of muscle to Claudia's stomach, unlike her and Callum - she's much softer, still toned, but the kind of toned that comes from being tall and lanky rather than regular adventures across the continent or harsh training regimes. Her body gives easier under Rayla's hands, and twitches with her kisses as they slowly cascade down her body.

Before long, she's positioned on her stomach between Claudia's legs. Not wanting to pause for too long in case she loses her nerve, she brings a hand down to touch Claudia the same as she had done earlier, feeling how wet she is. She tests to see if she's wet enough for a finger, a rush of heat running through her when she slides inside without any resistance. Claudia lets out a low groan at the intrusion, rolling her hips into Rayla's hand and asking for more.

She spends a few moments just sliding her finger in and out, feeling Claudia, before she adds another finger. It's definitely a tighter fit than using only one, but still accepted just as easily and she pumps them in and out a few times gaining momentum until she feels a tap on her head. Looking up, she expects an instruction but the form it is given in causes an unexpected laugh to bubble up in her chest - instead of using her words, Claudia has two of her fingers on either side of her tongue in a pretty universal sign for something that doesn't require fingers, winking at her.

Now, she's not normally one to let Claudia goad her easily, but all things considered it's a request she's curious to comply with. Leaning down, she allows her tongue to replace where her fingers just where, dipping in slightly to taste with a long lick up her centre. Rayla has tasted herself in passing before, and she's relieved to learn that there's not much difference between her own and Claudia's, most of her nerves melting away as she settles herself better between Claudia's legs. Her hands come up to grip the thighs around her head as she continues her long strokes through the wetness under her tongue.

Seeking out Claudia's clit, she starts to focus most of her attention there, stopping to dip further down occasionally before returning. Claudia is starting to writhe a little where she's pinned by Rayla's hands, light noises floating from her as she tries to hold back against the urge to grind against the face between her legs.

Preoccupied as she is, Rayla doesn't want to distract from her current task to check, but she is almost sure she can hear Callum stroking himself from his spot against the headrest.

Since Rayla and Callum both felt it okay to do so to her, Claudia moves a hand down to place on Rayla's head, taking care not to touch her horns - she's not familiar enough with touching Rayla to know if that would be okay or not, and now's not really the time to find out. She doesn't press down though as she just needs something to hold to centre her, not wanting to risk disrupting the wonderful attention she's getting by pushing for more than Rayla might be ready for. Unfortunately, she needs a little bit more than what she's currently getting to orgasm, so she decides to give some direction like she said she would.

"I'm close, be a little more firm with your tongue but keep going."

Encouraged by the instructions, Rayla does as she's asked, pressing her tongue firmer against Claudia's clit and maintaining the motions she had been doing. She can feel the muscles in the thighs under her hands tensing, Claudia is getting louder from where she is now reclined back on the bed, and with a few more strokes a lot of things happen at once - the hand in hair tightens, nails against her scalp as both it and the thighs around her head lock her in place. Claudia comes with a yelp, grinding against her face slightly, and she can feel warm wetness against her chin and threatening to drip onto the bed.

Continuing to move her tongue, she catches some of it as she helps Claudia ride out the last of her orgasm before her head is freed from between the mage's legs.

The cool touch of air to her face catches her by surprise, and a hand automatically lifts to touch at Claudia's come still on her chin. The feeling sends a spark of pleasure between her legs, and she wonders how she must look right now. Looking down to where Claudia is already starting to recover, she's overcome by her second strange urge of the night. Since the first turned out to be a success, she acts on it without too much thought, deliberately leaning down to press a kiss to Claudia's lips and force her to taste herself. When the action is met with a husky moan and deepening of the kiss, her head starts to spin.

Eventually pulling away, Claudia looks at her with dark eyes, almost black with lust and the low light.

"I want you to sit on my face."

There's no room for argument with Claudia looking at her like that, not that she'd ever want to. Claudia's hands are already on her body, pulling her in closer and before long she finds herself positioned on her knees with Claudia under her. Unlike her own experimental touches, the girl under her wastes no time, hands gripping her thighs and pulling her down against her waiting tongue.

The bed dips behind her, and she looks over her shoulder to see Callum positioning himself between Claudia's legs, hard again and a look in his eye like a man about to conquer. He notices her looking, sporting a cheeky grin as he runs his finger through Claudia's wet folds and drawing a squeak from her before he speaks to them both.

"Is this okay with everyone?" Of course he would still be the one to check in with them both, those princely manners are buried in there somewhere. It's very sweet, and she loves him for it.

Rayla is more than happy to have him join back in, so she looks down to meet Claudia's eyes and check on her. She looks a little surprised that Callum is wanting to actually fuck her, but she gives a confirming nod before going back to what she was doing. And she was doing it very well; it had only been a couple minutes but Rayla's legs were already beginning to shake as she could feel her peak creeping up on her. She's not had any direct attention until now, and it's really showing.

Claudia gasps against her clit when Callum slides into her, sending Rayla that much closer to her own climax with the added stimulation. With Rayla's body blocking her view, Claudia can only feel what Callum is doing as he does it, and she struggles to keep her motions consistent as she adjusts to his size and thrusts.

To his credit, Callum must have realised this, as he settles into a steady pace that allows Claudia enough focus to be able to do both things at once. Deciding she also wants an opportunity to watch the show going on behind her, Rayla starts to grind against Claudia's tongue and press forward, seeking out her own orgasm. It's clear that this is not Claudia's first time with her face being ridden by another woman, as she meets the rougher treatment with her tongue easily, grinding back into Rayla and quickly making a knot tighten in her centre.

A few more motions of her hips against Claudia's face and Rayla comes loudly, slumping over and bracing herself on her hands to recover. She can feel the tickling sensation of Claudia's tongue as it continues to gently lap at her, cleaning her up before she dismounts to lie down on the bed. Her thighs are burning and they need a rest, so she presses a kiss to Claudia's lips before situating herself next to her on the bed to be able to see what Callum is doing.

Well, she already knows what _and_ who he's doing. But she still wants to watch.

Without the distraction of Rayla above her, Claudia's hands are left to bunch in the bedsheets as Callum begins to pick up the pace. She attempts to hold eye contact and watch him fuck her for a bit, before tossing her head back with a stuttering groan when he starts using thrusts hard enough to bounce her.

Rayla honestly isn't sure what she's enjoying watching most; seeing Callum all hot and sweaty, fucking Claudia the same way he fucks her? Or maybe how Claudia's breasts bounce with every thrust, a moan always at the back of her throat and escaping now and again? Either way, it's very enjoyable sight.

Claudia reaches out for her, and Rayla presses against her side, sending a hand down between her and Callum to rub haphazard circles over her clit and help her along a bit. She has to be close, so soon after she last came. She definitely sounds like she's close - the noises she's making are becoming more broken and clumsy, not really full moans anymore. Callum's thrusts are starting to stagger a bit, his breathing laboured and starting to lean further over Claudia as he chases what they're all waiting for.

Claudia comes before Callum, and Rayla is absolutely sure that if it hadn't been for him getting to finish earlier then that wouldn't have been the case. Which is why she made sure he was first.

He can thank her later.

For now, Rayla watches as Callum presses forward with a last couple jerks of his hips, about to finally peak.

"Can- Can I-"

He's struggling to get the words out but Rayla knows he's trying to ask, and it's fine with her. She's not the only one he is asking, and she leans down to speak into Claudia's ear to make sure she's paying enough to attention to what she's saying.

"Is he allowed to come inside you?"

"Mmm, yes!"

The enthusiasm is a response that wasn't expected but very welcome, as Rayla and Callum share a surprised look with each other. She nods her agreement to him, and he doesn't need to be told twice, burying himself inside Claudia and coming deep with a groan and a last few final thrusts.

Callum remains where he is, lying his weight out across Claudia's lower body and resting his head on her chest. His hair is sweaty. It feels sticky when she touches it.

They stay like that for a few minutes, in a pile on the bed, Callum half on top of Claudia and Rayla now pressed up against both of their sides, a hand tracing gently over Callum's back while he catches his breath. It doesn't take long for it to start becoming less comfortable - sweat cooling on their skin and sticking them together.

Eventually, Rayla sits up and stretches, turning to ask Callum something or other about their day tomorrow and that's when they realise he's dozed off with his head still on Claudia's stomach. The girls share a look, muffling some giggles at him being tired out so easily. The elf gets up and makes her way over to where her robe still lies forgotten in front of the fire, pulling it back on and loosely tying the band around her waist before grabbing Callum's pyjamas out of the pile of clothes by the bed.

Callum rises with a grumble when she places a hand on his shoulder to wake him, glancing around with grumpy eyes before he realises where he is and flushes in embarrassment.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep, sorry guys."

"Don't worry about it, I think we're all tired."

Rayla coaxes him into his clothes, half-dressing him herself as he is still fighting with sleep and not being very coordinated. Claudia watches them both, just being cute together and trying to be functional. Once they're both dressed, Callum scoots over the bed to pull Claudia into a hug, startling her a little with how unexpected it is. She hugs him back, giggling a little at how soft he is sometimes.

"This was fun, Claudia. Thanks for a nice night, we both enjoyed ourselves a lot." Pulling back to look at her, he looks a little unsure. "I'll see you tomorrow, for the meeting with Ez?"

It takes her a moment to place what's up with him - he's wanting to check she's not going to start avoiding him or something after all this. Wanting to reassure him that everything is fine, she places her hand between them both, pinky held out.

"Of course. This doesn't change anything, I promise."

He accepts the offered promise, happy smile breaking out as he moves off of the bed, walking over to Rayla who seems to be lost in thought but snaps out of it when he approaches. They're both ready to leave, and Claudia's ready for sleep.

In one last surprising act of the night, Rayla leans down one more time to place a kiss against Claudia's lips, chastely - a goodbye, not an invitation like the others had been. She heads back over to take Callum's hand, leading them both for the door.

"Goodnight, Claudia. Thanks for a nice evening."

The words are incredibly soft, unlike any Rayla has directed her way before. It gives her enough pause that the two of them have already slipped out the door before she replies, a hand waving distractedly in response to Callum's just before he vanished completely.

Her room feels strange now that her visitors have left, too empty for her on her own. Pushing the feeling away, she moves to set herself up for bed properly this time, not wanting to look outside and see how late it's no doubt gotten.

Callum had the right idea dozing off when he could; she's exhausted and her bed is looking extra inviting tonight, memories pressed into its crumpled sheets that she's sure she'll think about for a long, long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Callum came inside Claudia, and it's not gonna result in a baby. Because let's be real here, if human beings had dark magic, the absolute first thing they'd have been looking into making is some kind of contraceptive spell.
> 
> The line "-this was it. Now or never. Do or die. Fuck or be fucked." is a reference to a line from astral_plant's fic "A Mountain She Remembers Climbing" that I changed slightly for this fic, you guys should go give that a read if you've not already it's super cute. 
> 
> Can be found here: [A Mountain She Remembers Climbing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16650658#main)
> 
> As always, comment and kudos if you've enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So I've not been able to put this trio aside quite yet apparently. I know this fic has a smut tag, but it also has a porn with plot tag and I thought hey, why not pull at that plot thread a little more. Depending on where I go with this - and I do have ideas - it'll probably swing back and forth between the smut and plot irregularly so if that appeals to you please come along for the ride with me. (pun absolutely intended)
> 
> That said, it might be worth tagging a bookmark to this if you're interested, as it will only update when it updates, if you get me?
> 
> Enjoy!

It was supposed to be a one time thing, it really was. But that's rarely how things ever seem to work out. Rayla had thought, you know, after they had done... whatever it was they had done, that things would just go back to normal? And they did, for a while. It didn't last very long.

An unsolicited touch here, a whispered comment in her ear there... And not even bothering to be as discreet as she had before, now that she had the evidence to prove it not exactly unwanted. 

Though honestly, Claudia. 

People were starting to look. 

Truthfully, it was her own fault it happened a second time. Just like the first time, it had been Rayla and her suggestions that ended up with them outside of Claudia's room again. Rayla wasn't willing to admit to the full blame, however - Claudia had known fine well what she was doing. It couldn't have been more obvious, with her showing up to dinner dressed like _that_ and showing off her assets in a _very_ targeted way. The feeling of a slim foot running up her leg during dessert, while unexpected, was not surprising. Neither were the bright eyes gleaming at her from behind a wine glass, as the limb continued to tease her out of sight. 

Emboldened by her lack of reaction, the touch travels higher until coming dangerously close to where she wants it, pressing lightly against her centre and sending a flush through her body. It's only for a second until sense comes back to her, and she shuffles her chair back slightly out of reach with a pointed look to the offender. Rayla should really have been more suspicious when it disappeared after a while, especially without her having to force the departure. It wasn't like Claudia to give up, after all - some of them still had the marks to show for that aspect of her.

It's not until later, when they're back in their room, that she finally understands where Claudia's wandering attention had disappeared to. Callum's hands are rough on her hips as she locks the door, spinning her around into a deep kiss and pressing her back against the wood. Arms around her waist, she's flush up against him as they kiss, and the feel of him already hard against her stomach gives her butterflies. While definitely not complaining, she is curious about where this burst of energy has come from. It had been a fairly normal dinner, all things considered, and he wasn't drunk either.

"What's got you so worked up?" She's panting a little after their hurried makeout, it's not particularly attractive but Callum doesn't seem to mind. Callum is flushed too, and looks uncertain when she tries to meet his eye. "Callum?"

"Promise you won't get mad?" He's squirming, a sure sign that she's probably not going to like what he's about to say. 

"I'm not going to get mad. Whatever it is, I'd rather you told me." Really, as it is he's just making her worry. 

"I... It's Claudia, she kept touching me under the table. I didn't want to say anything, I don't want to cause a problem."

"Oh? She was?" 

Her raised eyebrow is - understandably - misinterpreted, and Callum starts to apologise like he's done something wrong. Rayla covers his apologies with a laugh and a hand over his mouth. 

"It's fine. She was doing it to me, too."

Big, green eyes stare into hers for a second before he shakes his head with a low chuckle of his own. 

"Looks like that's becoming a bit of a theme, huh?"

The ridiculousness if it all simmers in the air between them and they share a few more laughs, melting into more kisses as Callum leans back into her, pressing more insistently against her stomach. She likes it when he takes the lead, excitement begins to pool in her stomach as she allows him to pin her against the door. A wicked idea comes to Rayla, and she pushes Callum back by his shoulders to meet his eye again. 

"We could make her watch?"

His face darkens a little, and Rayla starts to worry she's said something wrong - maybe he doesn't want to involve Claudia again, it's not like they've really spoke about doing it a second time. That would be fair, she certainly doesn't want to upset him over the suggestion. She's worrying for nothing though, already hinted at by the fact Claudia's behaviour had worked at turning Callum on. 

"Yea." 

Well, she'd definitely read him wrong if the look he was giving her now was an indication. Callum is always full of surprises, she should have remembered that. 

"Yea?" Her brow quirks up, she can't help it. 

"Yea. She spent like an hour working me up, she deserves some payback for it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Claudia answers the door she's still wearing her dress from dinner, as well as a smug smile - propping an arm up theatrically against her doorframe and scanning over both of them slowly, blocking their path into her room in favour of enjoying the moment. A glass of wine swirls precariously in her other hand now that her attention is elsewhere, threatening to spill between them. Rayla cuts in before Claudia can make whatever joke it is she no doubt had planned for this moment. 

"Thought you would have changed by now?"

Green eyes flick between the two of them as they stand enjoying the view of Claudia in front of them; she has a twinkle in her eye like she's won a game, even if she had been the only one playing for most of the evening. 

"I suspected I might get some help out of the dress tonight." 

Claudia sticks her tongue out with a wink, more expressive than even the usual from her, and Rayla doesn't hold back the urge to roll her eyes - that glass of wine probably has to go if they're going to do this. And she still isn't budging, tall and lanky frame more successful at blocking the doorway than would be expected. The mage is looming over them both a little, and a glance down confirms that she is getting some help with cutting her, somewhat, imposing figure - she's wearing heels under the dress, making her a good few inches taller than Callum and as many more taller than Rayla again. 

"Come on, let's get out of the hall." Callum is chuckling a little at them both, warm hand taking hold of Rayla's to pull her into the room as he places the other on Claudia's chest and gives her a shove and _finally_ she moves back a few steps to let them past. Locking the door behind them, Callum turns to where Claudia has floated over to place her glass above the fireplace, gesturing loosely between the glass and the girl.

"Hey, Claudia? How many of those have you had tonight?"

Following his pointing to the wine glass, she squints at it for the shortest moment before spinning back around with a laugh and a raised eyebrow. 

"A few less than I can handle. I'm not that drunk, you're not _taking advantage_ of me." Her words are emphasised with hand gestures that don't actually really mean anything or help in any way. "Don't worry."

"I'm pretty sure it's you taking advantage of us, anyways."

Rayla's words are harsh but her demeanor is soft, a grin on her face showing that there's no actual venom behind the comment. 

"Well, I'm hoping to." Another wink. This cocky version of Claudia is definitely going to regret the teasing soon enough. 

With one last look to Callum, who actually smirks at her with what they're about to do, Rayla snaps her attention to Claudia and moves across the room.

Stalking over to where Claudia is standing, chin high and a daring - if slightly drunk - look in her eye, Rayla backs her roughly up against the the corner of the towering bedframe with a hand around her throat. Claudia manages to keep her composure even with the harsh treatment, but her pulse is racing against Rayla's fingers. Keeping the hand at her throat where it is, Rayla leans in to press hard kisses along Claudia's jaw. Her free hand slides up a bare thigh and slips through the slit in the dress, high enough to press against damp underwear - a pleasant surprise, they've barely even started. 

Claudia begins to rock against her hand, and Rayla trails the other down from her neck to grope one of the breasts that have been used to tease her and Callum all night. She only focuses on that for a moment, continuing her hand's path down Claudia's body to reach the top of the slit revealing her legs. Pulling back from kissing the neck bared in front of her, Rayla grips the split in the fabric with both hands and rips it open with one tug, then another - tearing it right up the bodice and unwrapping the sight underneath like a present. 

Loud gasps echo from both Callum and Claudia at the spectacle she's creating, and the breasts in front of her heave a little as Claudia allows excitement to wash over her at being treated so vulgarly.

"I'm sure Callum won't mind buying you another one."

Rayla continues tugging the sides of the dress, pushing the material down Claudia's arms until most of her figure has been revealed, alternating between biting and kissing the pale skin underneath. With the dress bunched up around her arms and Rayla pressing her back against the tall bedpost, she's pretty much pinned already. Satisfied with the pose she's in, Rayla grabs the loose material from the dress and begins to loop it around Claudia's arms until it's tight, tying her to the frame. A last tug confirms that it should keep Claudia in place.

Stepping back only enough to enjoy the view, Rayla drags a hand slowly down the length of Claudia's body, which is arched prettily due to the way her arms are now tied behind her back. This close, Rayla has to look up much higher to meet Claudia's gaze, thanks to the heels she's still wearing. It causes a rush of excitement to flood her veins with the fleeting thought of what it would be like if their positions were reversed, if Claudia was towering over her like this in a different context. She'd never been much one to care for heights before now. 

_Should I try and get Callum to wear heels? ...no, that's crazy. One thing at a time, Rayla._

Her train of thought is broken by a horrid screeching sound, causing both her and Claudia's attention to whip over to where Callum is dragging an ornate chaise lounge across the floor. He gives them both an embarrassed smile, dropping the end he's holding once it's in place a few metres in front of where Claudia is facing. 

Setting the stage, if you will. 

Callum moves to sit down on the seat, hopping over one side to do so and leaning back with a flourish, sweeping a hand across his lap as he beckons Rayla to join him. Both girls naturally follow the movement of his hand, focusing on the bulge in his pants he's not bothering to hide.

Curling a finger into the waistband of Claudia's panties, Rayla allows it to snap back against the mage's hip as she strolls away from Claudia and back towards Callum. The action draws a gasp, and Claudia's eyes flick between Rayla and Callum before down to herself. She looks confused when she glances back up to them.

The confusion disappears as Rayla sits herself down on Callum's lap, and green eyes widen sharply at seeing Callum grind up into Rayla. It took her a minute, but seems she has realised what's about to happen. 

"Be a good girl and watch. And maybe we'll let you join in."

Rayla turns to face Callum, surprised at hearing such a commanding comment from him. He cocks his head up at her, humming low in his throat when she spins round fully and pulls him into a long-awaited kiss. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Rayla's hands drop down to the hem of his shirt and raise it up and off of him. She peppers kisses across his chest, leaning back enough to loosen his belt and slip her hand into his underwear, stroking him slowly. His hands tug on at her own shirt after a few moments, and she lifts her arms to let him pull it off.

The only warning she gets is his hands gripping her ass, before he's lifting her up and moving so she is under him on the lounge. Claudia should be able to see what they're doing better from this side-on position; a quick look over confirms they have her full attention, eyes dark and a flush on her face.

Well, it's not like she's going anywhere.

Callum kisses down from her neck to her breasts, sucking roughly against her skin before swirling his tongue around one of her nipples. Rayla wraps her legs around his waist, pulling him down against her so she can grind on him. All the attention she is receiving is making her skin heat up fast, and the pants still on her bottom half itch against her skin. They need to come off. Now. 

Callum lifts up off of her when she moves to sit up, grabbing a hold of her waistband and nudging her to lift her hips. Once off, he places himself back between her legs and moves a hand down to her centre. Thick fingers rubs circles around her clit, before two of them slide into her. There is no resistance, the steady build up of their evening has her more than ready and she presses down against his fingers. 

"Can I flip you over?" The whisper in her ear sends a shiver down her spine, low enough so Claudia can't hear the words. 

"Fuck, yes." 

The fingers slide out of her, moving to her hips as she turns so Callum is behind her. Light kisses are pressed across her shoulders, which only makes it more shocking when she is roughly pushed forward onto her elbows, forcing a squeal from her throat before she can stop it. Callum just laughs when she glares at him over her shoulder.

_Fucker, I'll get you back for that._

He rubs himself against her a few times, lubing up before lining himself to enter her. Without any warning, he thrusts into her and Rayla's head falls to press against the cushion under her with a moan at being filled. Callum, being a gentleman, gives her a few seconds to adjust to the sensation. With Rayla lost in her own world for a moment, he looks over to where Claudia is tied - she's not looking so smug anymore, breathing heavily and pressing her legs together as she watches the show in front of her. 

Feeling Rayla beginning to press back against him, he starts to set up a rhythm, pulling out slow and thrusting in hard enough to bounce Rayla on the cushions. She likes it faster than this, but she can wait a bit. It feels good, how tight she is when in this position and he wants to enjoy it first. 

Rayla hasn't lifted back up from being pressed down but she keeps pushing back against him trying to increase the pace. Slowly Callum begins to move faster, until he's fucking her hard like she wants. They're both moaning now, the sounds mixing with the wet noise of their hips meeting over and over. One of the hands Rayla had been bracing on has disappeared, and not long after she tenses up under his hands where they grip her hips. 

She comes with a groan, slumping forward as the last of her strength leaves her. The feeling of her muscles clenching around him drags Callum along right after her, a few more shaky thrusts before he presses forward into her and comes deep inside. Pulling out of Rayla, Callum moves back on the seat enough for her to turn back around onto her back facing him. Her face is red from the exercise and her hair is ruffled, tangled up a bit around her horns from having her face pressed into the lounge chair. 

"That's a good look on you." 

"What is?"

"Sloppy."

"Hush, you." Her face flushes in embarrassment, shoving him slightly with a hand and a laugh. 

Rayla follows her hand, sitting up to give Callum a kiss despite just telling him off. She visibly perks up when she pulls back, turning towards Claudia - she had honestly forgotten about her for a while there. Claudia doesn't look any better than she had when Callum looked over at her earlier, the flush on her face having spread down her neck and across her chest. 

"You doing okay over there, Claudia?" Callum can't quite keep the laughter out of his voice at how frustrated she looks. It's very amusing; it's not often someone manages to actually unbalance Claudia. 

"Fuck both of you."

"Be nice, or we'll leave you there."

Claudia actually snaps her mouth closed at the threat, eyes wide - she doesn't know whether or not they'd do that to her, and she's not about to risk finding out. Her head rolls back with a groan, and she shuffles a bit on her feet before wincing slightly.

"Um... Could one of you take my heels off? They're starting to hurt since I can't move."

Like a switch has been flipped, Callum moves immediately to go help Claudia and Rayla can't help rolling her eyes a little at his back. He'd done well for a while there, but being mean just isn't in his spirit. Rayla would probably have let her squirm for a bit longer. 

Kneeling by Claudia's feet, Callum does as she asked and helps her out of her shoes. Once they're off, Claudia wiggles her toes a bit with a sigh that cuts off into a gasp, as Callum begins to trail his hands up her legs to her hips. Goosebumps appear on her skin as he touches her, though they have nothing to do with feeling cold - she's almost worryingly hot under his hands. Noticing what it is Callum is up to, Rayla sits up more so she can see better. 

Hooking his fingers in the band of Claudia's underwear, Callum starts to pull them down. They stick to Claudia with how turned on she is, soaked through bad enough that he can't help feeling a little pleased with himself. Once they're completely off, he whips the underwear at Rayla who catches them out of the air easily. Claudia breaks eye contact with Rayla at seeing her smirk at the condition of the underwear in her hand, instead looking down to where Callum is still kneeling between her legs, touching her lightly. He's... a little too close to be looking at her so intently. It's making her self-conscious.

"Callum, it's rude to st-- Ohh fuck!"

The feeling of his mouth on her cuts off the chastising she was about to give him about staring at people when they're naked. Even if she is still _technically_ wearing her dress - though this was most certainly not what the maker had in mind for it when it was made. 

The relief of finally having someone touch her is a lot, washing over her body and causing her to sag a little against the post she's tied to. Claudia wants to watch him, but her eyes keep sliding shut to focus on the feel of his tongue against her. 

Rayla has fully perked up now from her spot nearby, watching them both. It's fun seeing Claudia trying to keep herself braced up with the attention she's getting from Callum. Fiddling with the underwear in her hand gives her an idea, and she gets up to approach the bed, ignoring the wet spot left under her where she's been sitting. There's going to be some suspicious stains left on the cushions, but that's a problem for Claudia to deal with.

Neither of the other two notice her moving towards them until she's pulling Claudia in for a kiss, coaxing the other girl into meeting her tongue with her own. When they pull away from each other, Rayla quickly shoves the damp underwear in her hand into Claudia's mouth. Claudia tries to wiggle away from her but can't between being tied up and the fact she isn't actually trying too hard to do so, looking at Rayla with a glare that doesn't quite override the fact she lets the underwear be put in her mouth. 

Moving onto the bed behind her, Rayla slowly starts to pick her way through loosening what remains of the dress from around Claudia's arms. Callum is keeping her preoccupied for now anyways, they're not paying much attention to what Rayla is up to. And she does have a heart, the mage has been tied up for a while now and is probably going to be a bit sore if they don't let her out soon. 

Well, Rayla is okay with a _bit_ sore, just not a lot. 

By the time she's working the sleeves loose enough that Claudia should be able to free her arms and finally move again, muffled moans are starting to fill the room. Rayla expects Claudia's freed hands to immediately steady her against Callum, and one does. But the other stays behind her back and reaches out towards Rayla, groping for something. Unsure what it is she's looking for, Rayla touches her hand to let her know she's there and has to hold back her laugh when Claudia takes hold of her hand. She doesn't hold back a smile though - the action is really cute and it makes her feel weirdly warm that Claudia is wanting to hold onto her too. 

Nails dig into her palm when Claudia comes, a choked sound that isn't too attractive escaping from around the gag in her mouth as she nearly topples Callum over. Callum helps move her so she's sitting on the edge of the bed and she flops onto her back with a giggle, stretching her arms up above her head - after pulling her own underwear out of her mouth with a slightly grossed out look on her face that makes Rayla laugh. Callum moves to sit on Claudia's other side from Rayla. He's hard again, and Rayla nods down towards his lap with a smirk. Following her look, he just shrugs his shoulders with a grin of his own when Claudia's voice draws their attention back to her. 

"My body feels tingly."

"That'll be the blood rushing back into you properly. Just lie there for a bit before you stand up again." 

"Oh, so it has nothing to do with me then, huh?" Callum is actually pouting. He's joking, but it's still amusing. 

"Yea, that is what I'm saying. What're you going to do about it?" 

"Nothing. To you."

Claudia hasn't been paying too much attention to their playful bickering, and Callum flicks his eyes down to her on the bed and back before wiggling his eyebrows at Rayla. Completely in-sync, they both move to flip Claudia over so she's on her stomach on the bed, Callum by her legs and Rayla holding her arms. 

Claudia makes a noise somewhere between a laugh and a shriek at being flipped, raising herself up enough to look up at Rayla with surprise. She looks good with the scandalised expression, and it only gets better when Callum lifts her hips up into the same position Rayla had been in earlier. Releasing Claudia's hands so she can lift herself up properly, Rayla shuffles forward so she's directly in front of her, fisting her hand through mismatched hair.

"Did you think you were done?"

Two sets of green eyes are watching her while she talks to Claudia, and she pushes Claudia's head down before she can answer. The mage does as she has been so politely requested and slips her tongue into Rayla a few times before beginning to circle up around her clit. 

From her position, Rayla can see both Claudia and Callum, watching their mirrored expressions when Callum lines himself up and thrusts into Claudia. He doesn't ease into it this time, hands gripping onto Claudia's hips and pounding her roughly. With him jostling her as much as he is, it makes her task of eating out Rayla much, much harder but she still tries. Fortunately, Rayla is enjoying the sight in front of her enough to make up for the lack of coordination she's receiving - both their faces are flushed prettily and Callum is grunting slightly with the exertion, forcing moans from Claudia as she is pulled in two different directions. 

It doesn't take long before Rayla feels Claudia's nails dig into her hips and the mage's mouth stills between her legs, orgasm muffled against Rayla while she tenses between the two using her. Her coming so fast isn't much of a surprise, after being left on the sidelines for so long. Callum is breathing hard behind her, not long to go before he follows Claudia over the edge. 

Rayla tugs lightly against the hair in her hand, prompting Claudia to finish what she had been doing, which she does without any further nudging. It takes a moment for her to get her energy back, gripping Rayla's thighs once she does and focusing back on her clit. She's not being bounced around as much anymore, and looking up to Callum confirms he's close - a last few shaky thrusts and he pulls out of Claudia with a sigh, collapsing down onto the bed next to Rayla. 

Callum presses kisses on her neck, a hand slipping down to tease one of her nipples and help her join the other two in finishing. It works; the extra stimulation and the insistent motions of Claudia's tongue send her head spinning as her orgasm rushes over her. She feels the dip in the mattress by her side that signals Claudia lying down too, feels her curl into her side opposite the one Callum is on and place her head on Rayla's chest. Callum does the same on her other side, cuddling her arm between both of his; she's tucked between them both as they all lie together catching their breaths. 

A nagging feeling at the back of her mind tells her that this - the cuddling - is a bad idea. She knows it is. There has to be a line somewhere.

They should leave, before it gets weird. 

But they're both so warm pressed up against her, and it's not like they don't _know_ Claudia - after everything they've just done, it feels silly to draw the line here. Callum is breathing hot, slightly sticky air against her neck, and it's making her hair tickle her a bit but she doesn't want him to move. Claudia has her arm loosely against Rayla's hip, her head turned down enough so she's not looking at her or Callum. 

They should really leave. 

Rayla's arm moves around Claudia's shoulders, pulling her in tighter against her side. The other girl tenses for a second with the movement, hesitating before moving her arm across Rayla's stomach to wrap around her properly and snuggling into her side. 

They can leave in a little while. 

Rayla doesn't want to move quite yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> Claudia's dress, which I was too lazy to describe, imagine something like this: [Dress.](https://www.luulla.com/product/993224/sexy-black-v-neck-side-slit-long-sleeves-2017-long-prom-dress-pd3112)
> 
> Callum, for the most part, I imagine would sit back a bit more the first few times they all sleep together and let the girls decide the pace and what's okay. He'll get more confident in time. 
> 
> I like to headcanon that Callum and Claudia both reach an adult height of about 5'10", making Rayla the 5'7" filling in the middle. This means that when Claudia wears heels like in this chapter, it would easily make her about 6'1", maybe 6'2". Tall girls are hot. Fact. 
> 
> As always, please kudos and comment below if you've enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a year, huh? It's honestly something fucking else every couple of weeks...
> 
> A bit more plot here, an exploration of the relationship between the trio. It's a mix of little scenes, that make up the bigger picture. Eventually this will progress into a proper polyam relationship, it's a pretty self-indulgent exploration of these three together, and of what could be. 
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr: @shallitickleyournerdbutton  
> Or on Twitter: @nerd_b_writes
> 
> Enjoy! :)

They set rules, her and Callum. Just three, and they're simple enough - an effort to keep things from getting too messy.

One: they don't sleep over.

Two: all three of them have to be present.

And three: no feeelings allowed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first rule doesn't get _broken_ , exactly. More like, they mutually agree to ignore it.

The first mistake had most likely been changing rooms - usually Rayla and Callum would go to Claudia's, leaving them free to return to their own room once ready to sleep. Some degree of planning or build up preceded most of their visits, so it's when Claudia shows up late one night to excitedly babble about something she and Callum had been working on that the routine changes. She ended up lying between Callum and Rayla on their bed, and it didn't take long for things to escalate from there.

The added spontaneity only served to fuel their actions, rougher and less inhibited with growing familiarity with each other. Claudia hadn't been allowed to touch Rayla's horns before that night - that's no longer the case. Her surprised and excited expression when Rayla had placed her hands on them was sure to be burned into her mind for a long time, if not forever. Callum's curious eyes could be felt against the back of her head when she'd moved the other mage's grip onto them. No doubt he was eager to ask her about it; it had taken him time to be allowed to touch her horns too.

But he never does ask her. And she doesn't bring it up.

Eventually Claudia had pulled away to start getting dressed, her back to Rayla and Callum as they remain on the bed. Rayla can feel Callum looking at her, and he glances towards Claudia with a tilt of his head when she meets his eyes. After so many years together, he doesn't need to voice what he's thinking for her to understand. At her nod, Callum sits up and calls out to Claudia who turns around with her top covering her chest - considering all they've done, Rayla has to hold back a laugh at her choosing this moment to cover herself.

"Is everything okay?" Claudia turns fully, shuffling nervously on her feet as she faces them both.

"Would you want to stay? You don't have to, but we would like you to. If you want?" Making sure to speak softly, Callum does his best to voice the offer in a way that won't make her feel pressured.

Claudia hesitates, looking down at the top in her hands and back up after a moment.

"Are you sure?"

Rayla and Callum both nod in answer, Rayla reaching out a hand towards Claudia when the other girl breaks out in a bright smile, dropping the clothing and allowing herself to be pulled back onto the bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slipping out of bed the next morning hadn't proven too difficult, Rayla managing to pull away from Claudia without waking her. The sun had risen not long ago, and she was already dressed and brushing her hair when Callum's sleepy voice calls out to her from the bed.

"Up so early?"

He's sitting up when she glances over her shoulder to look at him, Claudia beginning to stir by his side with a grumble. Putting the brush down, she messes with her fringe in the mirror.

"Yea, have to help Soren today."

When she turns to approach the bed, Claudia is now also sitting up, green eyes flicking between her and Callum as Rayla gets closer. She messes with her hair, voice nervous and not meeting either of their eyes.

"Do you want me to go too?"

Rayla takes a moment to look at them both still lying in bed, matching sleep-mussed hair and bruises on them that look suspiciously like love bites. Her stomach tugs with affection - she knows that it was her that put those marks on them both. Sitting down on the side of the bed Claudia is on, Rayla leans across her to give Callum his usual morning goodbye kiss, and he hums happily. Moving back up, Rayla only just catches the start of Claudia's eyes widening in surprise before she presses the same kiss to Claudia's lips, pulling away with a hand still on her cheek.

"I don't mind if you stay."

Taking one of Callum's hands in hers, Rayla presses another kiss to his knuckles. With a last stroke of Claudia's cheek, she rises up off the bed and heads for the door.

"I'll see you both at lunch."

Rayla is gone out the door with a wave, and Claudia turns to face Callum where he's still reclined on the bed. She expects confusion or something to be present on his face at Rayla's actions, but instead he just opens his arms and motions for her to cuddle into him. He doesn't say anything as she does, just smiles that easy grin of his, and pulls her down to lie on his chest. He's always so warm. It doesn't take long for them to doze back off for a couple hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At lunchtime, Rayla shows up in the main hall after following the smell of food from the courtyard. They'd finished up a bit earlier than anticipated today, so her and Soren had decided to spar for a bit. To keep the senses sharp, and all that. She'd won, obviously. And now, she was starving - the double bout of exercise was good for working up an appetite fast.

_You've been getting plenty of exercise recently_ , the little voice in her head - unhelpfully - chimes in. The thought brings a flush to her face, thankfully the halls are empty and no one can see her right now.

Entering the hall, it's emptier than she'd expected with only maybe a dozen or so people still eating. She hears Callum and Claudia before she sees them, drawing her attention to where they are sitting together at one of the long tables, the sun shining on their backs through the large windows. Claudia is holding what looks like some kind of bone with meat still hanging off it, raspy laughter loud in the quiet room as she tries to poke Callum with it, who's making a noise somewhere between a laugh and a squeal and fending off the assault with a book.

They haven't noticed her yet, standing by the entrance and watching them both with a goofy smile on her face. She toys with the idea of sneaking up on them but decides against it, strolling down the length of the table to sit down across from them both.

Matching smiles light up their faces when they see her, and Claudia lobs the gross bone in her hand towards Rayla, who catches it without thinking. It's slimy in her hand, and she drops it back onto the table with a disgusted face that must be amusing as the other two start laughing again.

"Ewww, why would you do that?" Grabbing a napkin from the table, she wipes the grease off her hand with a pout.

"You don't usually mind being boned."

Callum's puns are bad enough without the added insinuation at her expense, and Rayla can feel her face heating up when two guards sitting further down the table glance round to look over at them. After a moment, they turn back to each other, chuckling at what they've just heard.

"Well that's it, I'm leaving." She feigns getting up to leave, and immediately both her sleeves are grabbed to halt her retreat.

"Aww please don't go, we're sorry!"

"Yea, we'll stop!"

Callum and Claudia each have a hand holding one of her sleeves, sorry expressions on their faces as they both look up at her. Having the two of them gazing at up her like that causes warmth to pool in her stomach, and she flips their hands to grip each of their wrists, subtly but firmly tugging them towards her so they're pressed tight against the table. The action draws a slight gasp from Callum, but Claudia doesn't make a sound, looking up from under her lashes. Leaning down so she's closer to them, she deliberately tightens her grip.

"I like you both begging. Now behave."

With a last possessive squeeze, she lets both of them go, sitting back fluidly into her chair. The two guards are looking at them again when Rayla turns in their direction, meeting their stares with a smirk.

Good. If they're going to know, she wants them to _know_.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something changes, after that night - and morning, and day - together. They all feel it, but don't want to acknowledge it or risk bursting the bubble around them and whatever it is this relationship is turning into.

_No, stop it, Rayla. It's not a relationship. It's just some fun between friends. Nothing more._

She looks down, studying her hands. Claudia has been staying in their room for maybe a few weeks now? Not every night, certainly. But... most nights, yes. The nights when she doesn't stay, they both miss her. They've not spoken about it, but Rayla can see it in Callum even when he pretends otherwise - how his shoulders fall a little when Claudia doesn't sneak in after dinner, or how he naturally takes up a spot off to the side of the bed now even when there's just two of them.

They're all lying to themselves, and it's not comforting.

Trying to calm herself a little, Rayla thinks of other things that are comforting. Callum's handsome smile, Ezran when he gets distracted by animals, waking up between her two pretty, dark-haired humans, Amaya and Gren riding back into the courtyard after a mission safe and sound...

Realising one of those is not like the others causes her to tug at her horns, flopping back onto the bed with a groan and staring up at the ceiling.

_I'm so fucked._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It hadn't just been the sleeping over that was worrying her, though it certainly contributed.

No, it was what came with it that was the real problem. Distancing her emotions from their inappropriate trysts had been so much easier when she hadn't been exposed to Claudia being sweet and domestic. If she had to pinpoint a moment in time, it would probably be that morning a few weeks ago.

Innocent enough - they had all been sprawled out on the bed in her and Callum's room, all of them nowhere to be for a rare occasion. Callum was lounging on his back, the book he'd been skimming through forgotten on his chest as he talks about magic stuff, Claudia occasionally chiming in. The mage had fetched a bottle of nail polish from one of the desks, attention focused on applying the purple shade to her nails as she listens.

Rayla had been half dozing, half ignoring the - to her - uninteresting conversation. She felt Claudia shuffling up the centre of the bed but didn't pay it much mind, until a slim hand takes hold of one of her own. Glancing down reveals about what she expects - Claudia beginning to apply the same purple shade to her own nails. Her tongue is sticking out slightly, putting more effort into not smudging Rayla's nails than she had her own. It's distracting enough that Rayla has to close her eyes again, that warm feeling settling back in her chest.

"Not even going to ask if you could do that?"

"If I had asked, you'd just have gotten embarrassed and said no."

When Rayla glances back down at her, Claudia is smiling softly down at her hand and lost in her own world. Her answer to Rayla's question is more accurate than Rayla wants to acknowledge; it would mean admitting to how well Claudia seems to have gotten to know her.

"Other hand." Claudia holds out her own hand not holding the little makeup brush expectantly, smoothly continuing to apply the paint to Rayla's other hand when she's granted it.

Once finished, Claudia encourages her to look at the work she's done. The colour matches well with her skin and general aesthetic, even if it is still obviously not a choice Rayla had made herself. It's not like she ever bothers to paint her own nails, but Claudia's influence is as good as printed onto her body at this point.

Literally.

It doesn't bother her like it should.

Callum is watching them both with a dopey smile on his face, not arguing when Claudia rotates around slightly and takes one of his hands to start applying the polish once again. Unlike Rayla, he watches fascinated as the paint is smoothed fluidly over each nail with practised ease - the motions close enough to art that his interest could have been predicted.

Claudia is sticking her tongue out again, no longer listening to Callum as he is happy to just watch what she's doing without talking. It's the first time they've all just enjoyed being together, no words or actions filling the silence. Just the gentle tap of the brush being dipped back into the little vial of paint as Claudia finishes the last few nails on Callum's other hand.

The vial and brush are returned to wherever they had been stored, and Claudia bounces back onto the centre of the bed, holding out her hands and coaxing the other two to do the same. Twenty-eight purple nails line up across the blanket, Claudia giggling happily at the sight.

"We match! It looks good, right?"

It does look good, but they're words Rayla can't bring herself to say out loud. Such a small thing it is, but the idea of the three of them matching in any way causes her stomach to flutter and the words to swell up in her throat. Whether or not it's in a good way, she can't say for certain at the moment - tugged between the thoughts of 'what if people notice?' and 'so what if people notice.'

"I love it! You picked a nice colour."

Rayla silently thanks the stars for Callum, he's always there to talk when her words don't want to come out. The feeling of her hand being lifted breaks her thoughts, watching as Claudia presses a quick kiss to her knuckles, doing the same to Callum's hand she's now also holding. Her attention stays on Callum's nails, appraising them with a tilted head and cocked eyebrow before giggling.

"I don't think purple is your colour, Callum."

"Aww, are you saying I don't look pretty?"

"You look pretty gay to me." The opportunity had been too great for Rayla to not bust her boyfriend's chops a bit, cutting in with a smirk after finally finding her words again.

"Says the girl who had another girl sitting on her face last night."

A pillow flicks out and smacks him in the face, a few feathers flying out and scattering around the bed. Fitting enough for the squawking noise he made upon impact. He glares at Rayla when he sits back up, having not been paying enough attention to see where the assault had come from and assuming her to be the guilty party. Well, he's wrong - a betrayed hand lifting to his chest when Claudia starts laughing, giving herself away.

"Claudia, how could you?"

"I don't think you get to make jokes like that to us, straight boy. You brought that upon yourself."

His attempt to whack Claudia back with the pillow is thwarted by Rayla, grabbing his weapon out of his hand and joining in on Claudia's side. It's two against one and definitely unbalanced, and he resorts to bargaining for his life, laughter smothered under pillows.

"Okay, stop! You're gonna smudge my nail polish, I give up!"

It's all so ridiculous, and easy, and natural... And Rayla doesn't want it to ever be any different.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second rule being broken, Rayla can truthfully say she had nothing to do with.

Callum's face as good as gave it away the moment he walked through their bedroom door, nerves sitting on his shoulders and pressing them down, alongside some help from his conscience. Long before he'd perched himself on the edge of the bed by her side, she already knew something had happened from his downtrodden posture.

He'd never been very good at hiding things.

(In the interest of being truthful, at least a small part of her had seen this coming. Extpected it, even.)

"I had sex with Claudia."

The confession is not surprising, and by that merit comes around full circle to become surprising again - a year ago, those words from Callum would have devastated her.

Now? Disappointed a little. Jealous, yes - but of who or what, she's not sure.

Hurt, betrayed, angry? All the emotions she would have expected, all the emotions that _Callum_ appears to be braced for... They're not there.

Frowning down at the blade she'd been sharpening, she can feel Callum looking at her, waiting for whatever response is coming. The passing thought of how bold it is of him to confess that to her while she's armed is amusing, and somewhat comforting - it seems he had at least a reasonable idea of the mixed feelings it would prompt instead.

At that last turbulent thought, Rayla finally breaks from her musing to meet Callum's eyes. He's just sitting watching her. Not wanting to keep talking until she has answered so he can get a read on what she's feeling, no doubt. A better look at him only confuses things more - carrying as much conflicted feels as she is right now, his exact thoughts are impossible to place.

Guilty, but not sorry. Nervous, but not upset.

Placing the weapon and whetstone off to the side, she turns to face him, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"Okay."

He opens his mouth as if to respond, before doing an honest-to-Gods double take, brows furrowed as he regards her for a quiet second.

"Okay? That's it? I mean, I didn't think you'd be too bothered, but I thought you'd be a little more annoyed than that."

Frowning slightly back at him, she crosses her arms to restrain the urge to resume her anxious cleaning of her sword. She really doesn't want this conversation right now.

"I am annoyed."

Silence stretches between them as Callum waits for her to continue. Many seconds pass before Callum gets frustrated, sighing loudly. He must have realised they wouldn't be getting anywhere here if he leaves it to Rayla to speak her mind.

"You're very calm for being annoyed. Come on Rayla, I need you to talk to me. Please?"

"I... I don't know what I'm feeling, Callum. I should be angry at you both but I'm not. I'm annoyed at the rule being broken, yes." She hesitates, stopping the words that were about to come. Callum waits patiently, and after a moment holds out a hand for her to take if she wants. His bright smile when she does is enough to keep her going. "I... Honestly, I'm more annoyed at not being there, I think. But mostly, it's the fact that I'm not upset about it that's upsetting me."

The last part comes out in a whisper, as if the walls hearing it would make it more real, and Callum's hand tightens around hers.

"What do you mean?"

Callum is waiting for her to keep talking, almost _too_ interested in what she's saying. She can't shake the feeling that they're closer to being on the same page than they've admitted.

He wants her to say it, but she can't. Not yet.

She sighs, squeezes his hand.

"What are we doing, Callum?" At his confused look she laughs, before adding, "And don't ask me what I mean, I know you know."

Shuffling up the bed, he leans against the headboard by her side and wraps an arm around her shoulders. Warm, comforting weight presses against her shoulders and she takes a moment to enjoy having him close.

Her Callum. Handsome, caring, annoying Callum...

He smells like lightning and Claudia's perfume, one of those much stranger than the other but she doesn't bother to ask. It does help explain why his hair is still sticking up from running his hands through it earlier, though.

"Is it that big of a deal..?" He's pretending to not care about her answer. The arm around her shoulders tightens, giving him away.

She laughs again, slightly hysterical at the whole situation, and pulls away enough to gesture without elbowing him.

"Is it a big d-- _Callum_ , she's been living with us for months! Her fucking mail is being brought here, people are talking about us... You don't think what we're doing is weird?"

"I guess... but it's not so long ago that the two of us together was 'weird'." A grin breaks out on his handsome face, at least some of it relief that she's not mad at him. Just... mad at their situation? Years together with Rayla have made her much easier to read, but he's still learning. They both are. "What exactly are you annoyed about?"

"I don't know." She huffs, attempts to reclaim her forgotten sword and return to her earlier task but Callum flicks the items to the end of the bed with a foot so that she can't, ignoring her irritated "hey!" at doing so.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Before or after you kicked my things away?"

He laughs. "I'm going to just take that as a 'no'. Are you mad at Claudia?"

That question makes her pause.

_Am I annoyed at Claudia?_

She's only the mildest bit annoyed at Callum. And that's just because he broke the rules, not as a result of any real anger at him. Claudia arguably has less culpability than Callum - she's made no agreements, hasn't broken any rules... Though honestly, it's highly likely she was the instigator for whatever had happened between the two mages.

But, it's a thought that's more exciting than anything.

"No. I'm not mad at Claudia."

"But you want to stop?"

The though of kicking Claudia back out of their weird little dynamic makes her chest hurt.

It _shouldn't_.

But it does.

Callum is still looking at her with those damned big eyes of his. She decides to refocus his attention off her for a second, so she can think.

"Do _you_ want to stop?"

His answer comes faster, and easier, than any she can give right now. Rarely, very rarely, occasions arise when Rayla wishes she could be more like Callum - this is one of them.

"No, I don't. But I will, if you do." A thumb rubs against her arm where his hand holds her against him, and he smiles an easy smile. "I love you. I want you to be happy. I'll be happy no matter what, as long as I have you."

At no point in that assurance does he rule out being happy involving Claudia, and without thinking she asks him about it.

"And you're happy with this? All of it - the sleepovers, the gossiping, the _closeness_...?"

"I am. It's weird but... it doesn't feel as strange as I would have thought. It's nice. And I'm always happy for extra hugs and kisses."

Laughing lightly at his grin, Rayla leans in to press a kiss to his lips, slow and full of all the love she has for him and how he makes everything that little bit easier. Her hand stays against his cheek when she pulls away, her own small smile spreading at the dopey expression on his face.

"It is nice," she agrees.

They just enjoy being there together for a few moments. It doesn't last long, smirk forcing its way onto Rayla's face where it's pressed against his neck.

"So, what happened with you and Claudia then?"

He flinches, flushing pink all the way to his hairline and starts to tell the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Claudia hasn't come to their room since Callum's little confession. In fact, she must be avoiding them both as Rayla hasn't seen her at all since then. It's been days now.

And it's not getting to continue.

Following the now incredibly familiar path along the corridors to Claudia's room, Rayla stops just outside the large doors to eavesdrop. Pressing against the wood to listen reveals sounds from within, marking the other girl's presence. The thick doors and walls in the castle do a good job of keeping noise from escaping, but from her position against the crack in the doorframe, Rayla can just about make out the soft sound of Claudia's voice.

_Is she singing? I didn't know she could sing..._

Pressing down gently on the handle, so gently as to make as little sound as possible, the door softly clicks open. Unlocked, thankfully. Rayla slips in, making sure to lock it behind her as she does.

Her guess had been correct - Claudia is singing, some human song Rayla doesn't recognise. It's... nice, both the song and the voice singing it, and it holds her in place by the door for a moment simply listening. Shaking her head, Rayla focuses on what she had come along here to do. Claudia is off at the far side of the too-large room, her back to Rayla as she scrawls on the blackboard she always pulls out of somewhere when she needs to write out her thoughts. And with that thought, the unwelcome knowing of each other strikes hard at Rayla's heart once again.

A rune floats by Claudia's head, forgotten in the air as if she had gotten halfway through her spell and changed her mind.

_Probably messing about with it..._

Sneaking further into the room, Rayla makes it within a couple metres of Claudia's back before she begins to turn around. The other girl shrieks at the unexpected sight of someone standing behind her, singing cutting off abruptly as her hand flies up to the rune in the air. She just catches herself at the last second, halting from casting whatever spell it is she has primed when the sight of Rayla registers properly.

"Rayla!" Hunching over, Claudia clutches at her heart for a few seconds before straightening back up. "You startled me, you really shouldn't sneak up on people! How did you even get in here?"

"Uh... Your door was unlocked?"

"It was? Oh, okay then."

She moves as if to turn back to the board behind her, then freezes and looks back at Rayla - who is now standing with a cocked hip and crossed arms just outside Claudia's personal space. The amused smirk Rayla wants to sport is deliberately held at bay.

"...Oh." A nervous laugh. "Hello?"

"Hello."

Claudia fidgets under Rayla's gaze, floundering for something to say in response. Rayla is happy to let her squirm for a bit, the mage having obviously come to her own conclusion for Rayla's presence in her bedroom.

"Callum told me what happened."

Surprisingly, Claudia doesn't respond. Rayla had expected her to apologise at least, but she doesn't. Like Callum, she just waits for Rayla to continue, a flush on her face and the barest hint of wetness to her eyes.

That pulls at Rayla's heart. Just the tiniest bit.

_Please don't cry, I don't think I'd be able to handle that._

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

Claudia looks away, down to her feet. Her words are so quiet that Rayla has to strain to hear them.

"I don't know what to say."

Her voice catches, Rayla watching as she clears her throat a few times.

_She's definitely going to cry..._

Taking pity on her, Rayla moves forward a couple steps to lean down into Claudia's sightline and get her attention before she can work herself up too much.

"Claudia."

She still looks teary when she glances up. Reaching out, Rayla takes hold of one of Claudia's hands, the other girl dropping her gaze to stare at their joined hands with a confused look.

Rayla had had a plan for coming to accost Claudia - had planned on sneaking into her room and having her way with her to even things out. Immature? Maybe. But it would have made her feel at least a little bit better. Seeing her so shaken wasn't a part of that plan; Rayla had expected a bit more of an argument from the other girl.

Not this haunted version.

Claudia's hand shakes a little in hers, green eyes watching her and waiting for what she's going to do next. When Rayla doesn't speak, Claudia clears her throat a last time and fills the space between them herself, voice hesitant.

"It's not going to happen again. I... I think we should stop."

The words aren't at all what Rayla had expected, heart tightening in her chest as Claudia moves to pull her hand away. Without thinking, Rayla holds onto her hand and doesn't let her go.

"I don't want to."

"...what?"

Claudia is looking down at her, having moved closer again. She squeezes Rayla's hand and repeats herself and it's only then that Rayla even realises she had said that out loud. And meant it.

_I dont want to stop._

Claudia is standing close enough now that Rayla can smell her perfume, the last little remnants of it left after the day anyway. She's stuck between wanting to tuck herself into Claudia's arms, against the part of her neck where Rayla knows she dabs it, and the pressing urge to flee, to remove herself from the odd temptation and everything it stands for.

There it is again, that pain in her chest. The same one from her conversation with Callum a week ago. Claudia is still staring at her. Rayla's still not answered.

"...I don't think I want to stop."

Claudia breaks their little bubble at Rayla's words, glancing away with a sigh that makes her chest stutter. Her eyes fall to their joined hands, before trailing back up to look at lilac eyes.

"I don't... I don't think I can do this anymore, Rayla."

And dammit, Rayla had a plan for when she finally cornered Claudia. This was not it - Claudia looking at her with that wounded look on her pretty face, tears in her eyes as she tries to pull away from the situation they've all allowed to happen. Beautiful, messy, flawed Claudia... She doesn't resist when Rayla lets go of her hand. She doesn't resist when arms loop around her neck.

She doesn't resist when Rayla pulls her down into a kiss.

Lips meeting, Claudia tenses for a split second before kissing Rayla back. Her hands move to Rayla's back, not wandering or groping, just... holding. Holding her tight, arms wrapped around a slim waist and bracing the shorter girl against her as they kiss.

They've kissed before, many times in fact - _too many_ , she can't help but think.

This is different. This isn't the messy kisses in the middle of doing sordid things to each other, or even the passing affectionate kisses when feeling particularly soft.

Claudia is kissing her like Rayla is hers to kiss.

And Rayla is letting her, melting into their embrace and running her hands up into mismatched dark hair. Claudia doesn't move away even when Rayla pulls back, a faraway look in her eye as she looks down at Rayla, eyes dark and face flushed. The expression on her face is one Rayla has seen before, but not on her.

It's the same one Callum has when he looks at her.

Oh...

_Oh._

The pain in her chest is back now, worse than before.

_Oh no._

Claudia's face falls when Rayla pushes out of her arms, but she doesn't try to stop her.

She just watches her go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Callum might have broken the second rule, but it was Rayla who broke the third.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bonus - Scene between Callum and Claudia:

"What do you think it does?"

"I don't know but you probably shouldn't point it at your face."

"What, like this?"

Claudia spins with a flourish, the mystery artefact held in front of her face like a telescope just for Callum to immediately snatch it out of her hands.

"Exactly like that. Are you nuts?" Even as he scolds her, a bemused laugh bubbles up from his chest at the look of faux innocent being focused on him. He waves the object in her general direction like he does with his finger. "This is potentially a very dangerous magical artefact, not a toy."

His attempt at being stern gets an exaggerated eye roll in response, Claudia leaning heavily against the desk he's sketching on and bumping it just enough to be annoying.

"Well it's a boring one then."

When one of Janai's soldiers had dropped it onto the table in the throne room and requested assistance identifying the thing, Claudia had volunteered them both. That was days ago, they've been holed up in their office since and so far the only thing they've been able to get it to do is _glow brighter_.

And they've already got Bait for that job.

Claudia was likely misled by the glowing runes and odd design into believing it would be a fun job - intricate metal handle enchanted with what looks to be a spell but unaligned with either elven or human magic, and tipped with two sharp prongs.

Callum is doing as he always does when faced with a wall - drawing. The outline of the object sits amongst the other papers strewn around the desk, sketched out by his hand.

"To document it," he'd said when asked.

And Claudia... Well, she's been doing what she does best; being a distraction. There's already several little doodles of hearts and other random things around the edges of his "documentation".

Scanning over the sketch, Callum compares it with the real thing, holding it in the air multiple times. He hums in thought, speaking aloud to the air more than to himself or Claudia.

"I feel like I've seen this kind of shape before. The tips at the end, I just can't remember where."

Claudia doesn't answer him, just screwing her face up in thought. She's still leaning on the desk, arms crossed loosely in front of her chest. It's a very Rayla-like pose, and it makes him smile.

"What are you smiling at, you goob?"

"Nothing. You look cute, that's all."

"Oh? Do I?"

Smirking, she leans further into his space. Enough to get him to drop his guard, just enough for her to sneak a hold of the artefact in his hand. He laughs and tries to grab for it as she pulls away waving her trophy, eventually letting her go when she aims it threateningly in his direction.

"Fine, whatever. Just stop being stupid with it. I'm not being the one explaining to Soren how you shot your face off."

That gets her to stop, a pale look on her face as she glances down at the metal pulsing brightly in her hand. Humour now sufficiently snuffed out, she wanders back over to the desk, still fiddling with the item in her hand but more sensibly now. Callum watches her out of the corner of his eye for a moment, focusing back on his sketch when she doesn't do anything suspect with it. It's placed in his hand without argument when he holds his palm out towards her, and he feels her watching over his shoulder as he begins to copy down the not-quite-Draconian ruins on the side.

Claudia hums thoughtfully by his ear, but he continues to ignore her until she speaks.

"It kind of looks similar to my father's staff..."

Callum looks between the sketch, artefact, and Claudia for a long moment, turning skeptical eyes to his friend.

"What makes you say that?"

"The design on the handle. And maybe the prongs? They look like they can be extended, kind of like the staff. A very basic version, but similar." She holds out a hand, batting her lashes innocently. "Can I see that for a minute? I won't do anything stupid, I have an idea."

Callum continues to scrutinise her for another moment, eventually handing the item over with a sigh.

"What're you thinking?"

"Well, my father's staff was crafted to work with both primal and dark magic. Maybe if we use both through it, it'll unlock? Or do something, at least."

"Worth a try I suppose, we're not getting anywhere anyways. What kind of spells should we try?"

"I only have stuff for some basic dark magic, hold on and I'll see what options there are."

Claudia goes wandering over to the cabinet they keep for storing magic materials, skimming over the various plants and crystals with the metal artefact in her hand in place of a finger. With a small noise of triumph, she snatches up a dark crystal pulsing with energy and something slimy in a jar and returns to Callum, holding them like a trophy.

"I can use this for a simple lightning spell."

"We already tried lightning though?"

"Yea, but only with primal magic. Let's try both."

Callum opens his mouth to argue but it dies on his tongue, and with a shake of his head he moves to stand by her side in the middle of their shared study. At her nod, he places a hand over hers on the handle and scribes the rune for the lightning spell in the air. With a steadying breath, Claudia speaks the incantation for the dark magic spell, her eyes turning a familiar black as Callum casts his own spell.

As soon as the last of the phrase slips out into the air between them, a blast of lightning rips through the prongs and strikes the far wall with enough force to send them both flying backwards onto the hard floor. The scent of burning parchment fills the air, the bookcase that was struck by the blast sparking and smoking slightly when they look over to check the damage. Lying on the floor a few feet away is the wand, still humming with static energy that flicks between the sharp prongs and glowing erratically.

They look at each other, equally startled but okay. Callum's hair is sticking up in a number of directions.

"Well, that was something."

Laughing slightly at having him parrot her earlier musing, Claudia moves to reclaim the object from its spot on the floor. Between the two prongs on the end, a much more subdued current continues to spark across the gap.

"At least we know how to activate it now."

"I suppose. So what would you call... whatever it is it just did?"

"It seems like it combines both kinds of magic to amplify them, or maybe it's some kind of reaction?"

As she thinks out loud, Claudia waves the still activated wand around in the air and Callum has to hold back the urge to take it off her again.

"Reaction?"

"Yea, you know? Like how if you put baking soda in things and shake it, it explodes?"

"Please don't put baking soda anywhere near that thing. And stop waving it around, you need to be careful--"

Before Callum can finish his statement, Claudia has already lifted a finger to prod experimentally at the small current running through the prongs, letting out a sharp yelp when it - predictably - shocks her. She at least has the decency to look embarrassed when he fixes her with a flat look.

"Really? In less time than it took me to say 'be careful', you've already shocked yourself with it?"

Claudia just laughs, waving him off with a limp wrist. "It's fiiiine. Just tingled a bit, feels kinda nice actually."

"Does it? It doesn't _look_ like it would feel nice."

"Why don't you come over here and find out?"

Claudia's eyes flick between the artefact and Callum teasingly. She even adds an eyebrow wiggle, just for extra encouragement, and takes a step towards Callum. Lifting his hands up to protect him, he steps back with a laugh.

"I'm good, thanks."

"Aww come on, I did it. Don't be a pussy."

Another step forward. Another step back.

"It's not me being a _'pussy'_ , I just trust you with that about as much as I trust Ezran with a fart flower."

Another step forward, another step back. Callum has almost backed up against the desk now - right where Claudia wants him.

"Scared of a little zip-zapping, Callum?"

He glowers at having his own phrasing used against against him, his hands dropping their guard slightly to frown at Claudia.

It's all the opening she needs.

He squeals when she pounces forward the last step between them, turning into an endearingly high-pitched yelp when the electrified prongs tap his arm as he attempts to flee. 'Attempts', because he had failed to notice Claudia backing him towards the desk until he bumps into in his efforts to escape.

A tense second beats between them, Callum openly gaping at her in betrayal as he clutches the spot on his arm that she just stung.

"Okay, you've had your fun. Hand it over." He holds a hand out towards her, waiting.

After being shocked a second time, he realises his mistake - expecting her to come quietly. She's certainly never been very good at that, after all.

With a deep inhale to brace for a fight - or at least resistance - he lunges for Claudia, wrapping strong arms around her in a bearhug and trapping her arms tight to her body. New toy included.

The move presses the electrified end to her torso, and she involuntarily drops it to the ground with a heavy clatter, her surprised shriek morphing into raspy laughter as she tries to wriggle away from Callum's hold on her. If anyone were to walk in on them right now, they'd have a hard time explaining themselves - both red-faced and laughing, Claudia's feet hanging a couple inches inches from the ground as she half-heartedly tries to break free.

"I'm going to put you down now, and I swear I'll trap you like this all day if you shock me again."

Claudia stills suddenly, pressing into him and - thinking she's given up - Callum begins to lower her back onto her feet only to freeze at her giggling ominously resuming.

"Oh Callum... Is that a magic wand in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

Confused, he lets her go and follows her gaze to his crotch, hands instinctively moving to cover the tent in his trousers. The odd combination of the electricity and Claudia squirming against him has resulted in a very particular reaction, and honestly, Claudia looking at him like that isn't helping - deliberately allowing her eyes to linger. At this point telling her to look away is futile, all things considered. Instead, he fixes her with another glower as she giggles behind a hand.

"This is your fault."

Her eyes sweep down again, dark eyebrow raised when she meets his eyes again, leaning close to speak lowly into his ear.

"I'm not sorry."

Having her husky voice so close does not help his situation. Having a slim hand stroking slowly down his stomach towards it _really_ doesn't help, and neither does her warm breath on his neck. Stopping just shy of touching him, she begins to pull away.

One look at the smug expression on her face is all it takes for him to break, pressing that teasing hand where he wants it and leaning in to claim a harsh kiss from her lips. It's met equally, Claudia pushing into him right back and backing him entirely against the desk, grinding their hips together as her hand squeezes him. When a tongue nudges against his lips, he allows his own to meet it, enjoying the kiss as she starts to unbuckle his belt.

A few practiced moves and Claudia has his pants pushed down, stroking firmly over his length. Warm kisses trail down his neck, sparse scraping of teeth against his pulse making him twitch with excitement.

If anyone were to walk in now, they'd have an even harder time explaining themselves.

It's a concern for another time.

Hand dropping from the persistent stroking, Claudia begins to push his shirt up his stomach and it's then that Callum realises he's practically letting her pin him against the desk and strip him like he knows she's done with at least one of the kitchen girls.

And that's just not on.

Using what extra strength he has over her to his advantage, he pushes her back to slide out from under her and reverses their positions. She looks entirely too smug when her backside is pressed against the desk where his had been.

"Don't like being the bottom, huh?"

He doesn't answer, catching her in another kiss and starting to tug the length of her dress up her legs. The dark fabric is heavier than it looks, and contrasts well with long, pale legs. When his hand finds her underwear under the seemingly neverending dress, she grinds against his palm with a moan and wraps her arms around his shoulders to keep him there.

Before long, her underwear starts to become slick from the attention and her moans heavier. She whines when it disappears, rocking her hips in an attempt to follow it and they both moan when the action causes them to briefly rub together.

Hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her underwear, he tugs them down her thighs, Claudia helping and kicking them off when they drop to her ankles. They meet for another kiss as Claudia's hand drops back down between their bodies to touch him again, before letting go and moving as if to sit up on the desk.

Her motion is stopped by Callum, grabbing her hips and spinning her so her back is to him. A soft gasp escapes her when he pushes between her shoulders, but she allows herself to be pressed down across the desk. She ducks her head down against the cool surface when her dress is pushed up her hips, but she doesn't say anything or try to stop him - even pushing back into him when he strokes her with a hand.

As much as she likes being in charge, nothing gets Claudia as excited as being treated roughly. And Callum isn't above using that knowledge to his advantage.

Lining up to her folds, he slides in easily, groaning at how tight she is while bent over like she is. Impatiently, she immediately begins to push her hips back against his using her hold on the desk for leverage and he doesn't doesn't waste any time before thrusting into her, picking up a fast rhythm.

The desk squeaks against the floor under them a few times at the rough pace, but they are far too gone to care. Wet sounds of their hips meeting fill the room, and Claudia's grip on the desk keeps slipping but they don't stop.

Eventually, Claudia begins to shudder under him and Callum quickly moves to wrap a hand around her mouth. A few more thrusts and she comes against his hand, thankfully muffling the noise from her. She collapses fully onto the desk, the occasional squeak or moan escaping her from the continued fucking from Callum.

Nails dig into her hips as Callum catches up to her, warmth filling her as he groans, marking his orgasm. He flops down on top of her, pinning her to the desk but she doesn't really mind - she's used to Callum's weight at this point. Someone's heart is beating hard enough to hurt. It might be hers.

After a few moments, he pulls out of her and lifts away, pulling her dress back down over her hips and tugging her into his arms for a hug.

Neither of them let go for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter:  
> I think the most viable option for humans and elves going forward would be to strip back dark magic to a kind of "diet" version rather than try to outlaw it entirely. Like, there's a lot of magic plants and I'm assuming there'd be natural farming byproducts from animals too. So yea, I think it would become something like alchemy, and the bulk of the actual magic would be through the primal sources which, thanks to Callum, we now know humans can actually do. 
> 
> A little side piece of information that there's a glimpse of in this AU, is that I headcanon a redeemed Claudia maybe making a connection with the Moon primal source.  
> My thoughts to back this up:  
> * I like the idea of Claudia eventually making a bond with the Moon primal both because it's the primal source I think suits her best, and the fact I'm a big raydia shipper ^.^'  
> * (Don't come at me, I like all combinations of these three together)  
> * There's several things she does throughout the show and in the lore that backs this up  
> * First is the relationship between moon magic and illusions, and Claudia is the only human mage other than Callum we've seen use an illusion, and she used it in battle too, to make the illusion of Viren  
> * Then, in Callum's spellbook he describes moon magic as "understanding the relationship between appearances and reality" which Claudia's whole "impassable is just another kind of passable" vibe reflects pretty well I think  
> * Not to mention her stubborn refusal to accept Soren being paralysed when the nurses told her there was nothing they could do, and successfully reversing what happened to him at cost to herself  
> * Also, older Claudia would probably have a greater respect for appreciating the reality in front of her after everything Viren manipulated her into  
> * Finally, again this was in Callum's spellbook entry about the moonhenge, but he says that there's legends that ancient elves could use the power of the moon nexus to open up a portal between life and death  
> * And who's the one person we've seen manipulate death in the show? Claudia, by bringing Viren back
> 
> As always, kudos and comment if you've enjoyed! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Notes for this story:  
> Callum is a soft mage boy who has soft mage hands that dwarf his elf girlfriend's, you can't change my mind. 
> 
> As always, please kudos and comment below if you've enjoyed! :)


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